Local architects and planners with their unique understanding of tourism and theming are designing around the globe. This project in Anqui China by Little Diversified Consultants is a great example of works abroad. This project received a 2014 Award of Honor from the AIA Orlando Chapter. This campus is generated from strong formal concepts derived from the translated name of the locale. These metaphors embodied in the building design provide deeper connections to the citizens and visitors.
Embedded in a humble, yet highly fertile agricultural region, the new Anqiu Cultural Campus and Wellness Center in China’s Shandong Province will serve its citizens with an unprecedented collection of civic offerings including a performing arts center, cultural museum, citizen’s center, library and planning bureau and museum. Known as the “land of cultivation, stone hills and creeks”, the concept of the project is inspired by these 3 strong geographic elements.
Located next to the famous Quigyun Mountain National Park in the outskirts of Anqiu, Shandong Province of China, the new Anqiu Cultural Campus becomes both a destination for the community and a gateway to the National Park. Within Shandong Province, the Anqiu area is known as the “land of cultivation, stone hills and creeks”. These characteristics have created a singular and highly graphic landscape that serves as the inspiration for the concept of the project.
The campus is organized around the 3 main elements: cultivation, stone hills and creeks. Each of them is represented by the 3 major components of the project:
Cultivation: the topographic ‘blanket’ (ground plane / overhead trellis)
Stone Hills: the 5 major cultural buildings
Creeks: the flow of people via covered canopies that connect the various points of the site.
The 5 major buildings of the campus are rendered as rock outcroppings engaging the cultivated ground, a strong characteristic of the regional landscape. They are constructed with local thinly cut stone veneer stacked to resemble the stratification of the hills. Programmatically, the 5 buildings are as follows:
Performing Arts Center,
Museum,
Citizen’s Center,
Library
and Planning Bureau and Museum.
While rooted in historic local landscape forms, these buildings are looking forward in their design. Knitted together by the overhead trellis structure the campus becomes one unified object, not just a row of buildings. And while they use similar shapes and materials, each retains an individual personality.
Here is a link to all the 2014 AIA Orlando award winners: http://www.aiaorlando.com/chapter/design-awards/2014
All the 2014 award recipients will be speaking about their projects on October 7th downtown at CityLab. Here is the link with complete information on the event and you can also purchase your ticket: http://www.aiaorlando.com/events/details/design-awards-symposium
Here is a link to Little Diversified Architectural Consultant’s website: http://www.littleonline.com/