Located in the outskirts of Hangzhou, China's alluring green landscape of rolling hills and peaceful lakes, the dark, subtle, angular shapes of the striking new Folk Art Museum building are the latest addition to the China Academy of Arts grounds, courtesy of Japanese architect Kengo Kuma.
Situated within the renowned school's campus, the project is set to carve meaningful relationships between visitors, displays and their environment. Its low, distinct outline is nestled into the sloped site - formerly a tea field - and resembles a group of gently angled pitched roofs. The arrangement cascades downwards, referencing through its geometry and composition local vernacular and construction techniques.
Indeed, a sense of place and the site were important to this project; the architect was keen to 'design a museum from which the ground below can be felt', keeping the buildings low - they don't exceed two storeys in height. The cascading roof system allows the building to cleverly mitigate the site's irregularities, at the same time creating the appearance of a 'village', explain the architects.
Kuma also worked with rich, local materials, such as cedar and reclaimed roof tiles used to cover old homes in the region, drawing even more parallels between his work and the area's traditional architecture. A stainless wire mesh on the facade, both holds the tiles - which vary in size - together and creates a pleasant screen for the building, which filters light and shadow, and controls views.
The complex's generous museum display areas are complemented by state-of-the-art conference facilities, making the project's total surface reaching almost 5,000 sq m.
Designed by Kengo Kuma, the composition was concieved as a group of gently sloped roofs
When seen from a distance, the complex resembles one of the area's traditional villages
The complex of cascading roofs is kept low to keep a relationship with the ground, explain the architects
Kuma and his team worked with local material where possible, such as a series of reclaimed roof tiles from old homes from the region
A stainless wire mesh on the façade, holds the tiles together, while creates a pleasant screen, filtering light and views
Cedar wood was also extensively used, mostly in the interiors
The museum features several unique display areas...
..while it also hosts a state-of-the-art conference hall for the campus
INFORMATION
Photography: Eiichi Kano
-
This Hackney bar is reviving London’s legacy of lesbian spacesDesigned by Studio Popelo, La Camionera emerges as a vital sanctuary for London’s FLINTA* community, honouring it right down to the details
-
Inside Miu Miu’s ‘proudly modern and minimal’ new London storeWallpaper* takes a tour of Miu Miu’s newly refurbished New Bond Street store, which is designed as a gathering place for the Italian house’s ‘spirited, intelligent, thoughtful community’
-
Herzog & de Meuron are renovating New York's iconic Breuer Building. Here's a first look at the renderingsThis fall, the brutalist icon will be re-opening as the New York headquarters for Sotheby's.
-
Zaha Hadid Architects’ spaceship-like Shenzhen Science and Technology Museum is now openLast week, ZHA announced the opening of its latest project: a museum in Shenzhen, China, dedicated to the power of technological advancements. It was only fitting, therefore, that the building design should embrace innovation
-
A Xingfa cement factory’s reimagining breathes new life into an abandoned industrial siteWe tour the Xingfa cement factory in China, where a redesign by landscape architecture firm SWA completely transforms an old industrial site into a lush park
-
The Yale Center for British Art, Louis Kahn’s final project, glows anew after a two-year closureAfter years of restoration, a modernist jewel and a treasure trove of British artwork can be seen in a whole new light
-
Bold, geometric minimalism rules at Toteme’s new store by Herzog & de Meuron in ChinaToteme launches a bold, monochromatic new store in Beijing – the brand’s first in China – created by Swiss architecture masters Herzog & de Meuron
-
The upcoming Zaha Hadid Architects projects set to transform the horizonA peek at Zaha Hadid Architects’ future projects, which will comprise some of the most innovative and intriguing structures in the world
-
You’ll soon be able to get a sneak peek inside Peter Zumthor’s LACMA expansionBut you’ll still have to wait another year for the grand opening
-
Liu Jiakun wins 2025 Pritzker Architecture Prize: explore the Chinese architect's workLiu Jiakun, 2025 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate, is celebrated for his 'deep coherence', quality and transcendent architecture
-
NYC's The New Museum announces an OMA-designed extensionOMA partners including Rem Koolhas and Shohei Shigematsu are designing a new building for Manhattan's only dedicated contemporary art museum
