CHINA ACADEMY OF ART
The design for this campus is considered as a start of a reform. The choice of themes is directed by traditional construction culture and its continuation: Garden making, construction, differentiation, material recycling and reuse.
In fact, the simple “court” of traditional China can be made to accommodate nearly all functions. What is attempted here is a “court”-based free typology, related to both, the tradition and more importantly, the gigantic space and functional requirement of this building.
As the sloping, twisting, and turning occurs on the site, the building twists and transforms accordingly, thus addresses uniformity and variation at the same time. The inevitable bulk of the buildings are purposefully lowered, horizontal sunscreen slope emphasizes the horizontal extension of the corresponding mountain range. The base of the handicraft-school is made with stone by a local method, traditionally used in the local tea field construction. This is a symbolic gesture representing the rooting of the school in the surrounding.
An important aspect of the design is the “free” concept. This “free” concept is not just about its architectural forms, but its sensitive response to nature. The structures are usually similar or identical to each other, but its variations are created by the relationship with the site.
The basic architectural types are sensitive to fast and large-scale constructions. At the same time, changes in design are frequent and spontaneous during the construction process. This provides a platform from where architects and artists will participate in the process to “build”. A large collection of over two millions pieces of tiles of different ages and sizes, salvaged from the traditional houses demolished all over the province of Zhejiang, will cover the roofs of the campus architecture. In sharp contrast to the fast and mass construction concept of today, the concept seeks to embody another philosophy.
