Chinese Culture Exhibition Center
Chinese Culture Exhibition Center is located in Lanzhou City, Gansu Province, China. The whole project is divided into show part and exhibition part. The show part is The Sun and Moon Pavilion, and the exhibition part is The Exhibition Area Entrance with ancient town style. The architectural form corresponds to the surrounding traditional villages in Lanzhou. The project is adjacent to Hekou Ancient Town and the Yellow River in the south, Zhuanglang River, a tributary of the Yellow River in the East, the Loess Mountains in the north, and traditional villages in Lanzhou area in the west, with rich surrounding natural landscape. The design not only takes into account the surrounding human geography, but also the natural scenery.At the same time, Lanzhou used to be the “Tea Horse Trade” and trading center relying on the arterial traffic, the national base and regional center in different historical periods, the fusion area and place of nationality and culture, and the fertile land for the growth of new culture with both material and non-material culture.
The project makes use of the natural cultural landscape to build a theater with The Sun and Moon Pavilion, integrates the natural landscape into the building to appreciate the mountains, the water and the show, and introduces the water dance and laser into the theater to create a new large-scale theater mode.
Courtesy of Qingdao Tengyuan Design + ECA2
The building volume is huge and novel. It is composed of two giant roofs, covering two parts of the stage and the stands. An “eye” on the roof and framed scenery are formed, which facilitates the audience to watch the laser show and the distant mountains, making it a landmark building in Lanzhou.The building shape centers on the stage and stands, with the building divided into two parts of the stage and the stands, which are covered by a huge arched roof respectively. The roof surface adopts the metal plate cladding, which has been repeatedly modified. As the project is adjacent to the traditional ancient town of China,The exterior shape of the theater integrates the elements of the local traditional buildings, with the roof arrangement of the traditional village layer upon layer, just like Xigu Hekou Ancient Town. The outer roof claddings are like the wings of a giant bird, covering and overlaying from top to bottom with rhyme. The materials with similar texture as the tiles are adopted for the roof decorative panels. The local traditional materials such as bricks, woods, rammed earth, etc., are adopted for the finishing surface of other parts of the building, fully making the building fit in the local natural and cultural environment.
Courtesy of Qingdao Tengyuan Design + ECA2
In the design process of the project, BIM technology is used to continuously promote the relationship between the building volume, materials and space, and solve the technical problems at the same time. In order to protect the audience from the impact of low temperature and blown sand, the audience area must be equipped with a roof. In fact, multimedia equipment and show also need moderate protection to minimize the impact of weather factors and noise and light pollution caused by surrounding roads. The enclosed structure can provide a large area of projection area at the same time, enabling the audience to get more immersive and rich viewing experience.
The Sun and Moon Pavilion presents a magnificent visual effect. Centering on the theme of Pan Gu creating heaven and earth, the show presents a deepening legend with Chinese characteristics, applying modern scientific and technological means such as audio, video, laser, animation, geyser, flame, fireworks and artistic forms to form integrating science and technology, culture, art and creativity to give the audience a shocking audio-visual feast.
Courtesy of Qingdao Tengyuan Design + ECA2
In terms of performance technology, laser, flame, fireworks and other forms are integrated into performance, and the stage equipment that is deeply buried in the water and suspended on the roof is used to form a rich stage effect. The equipment technology is advanced and can be immersed in the water for a long time. Numerous machine rooms located around the stage, stands and outside the venue jointly provide technical support for the performance .The openings above the pool and stage ensure the normal operation of water effect, light effect and fireworks. At the same time, it is possible for the audience to see the mountains through the openings, establishing a connection with the venue and increasing the interest, which is the original intention of the design.
As the pilgrimage place of Chinese Yellow River Culture, the tipping point of Northwest tourism trend, and the new highland of Lanzhou leisure experience, Lanzhou comprehensively creates a visual feast, targeting young people, children, etc. The building image and display content of the Sun and Moon Pavilion integrate local culture of Lanzhou with traditional Chinese culture, and create a comprehensive performance integrating ancient and modern Chinese and foreign cultures. In the architectural technology, BIM technology and traditional drawing technology are combined, civil engineering and steel structure design are combined, and Chinese architectural design and engineering technology are combined with foreign projection equipment and space design. Fashion elements are introduced, creating regional city card, and enhancing local art appeal. At the same time, the Sun and Moon Pavilion is combined with the Exhibition Area to form an entertainment complex integrating theme performance and cultural activities.
Project Info:
Architects: ECA2, Qingdao Tengyuan Design
Location: Lanzhou, China
Area: 23000 m²
Project Year: 2019
Photographs: Kai Wang,Julien Panie, Christophe Bernard
