kengo kuma & associates: xinjin zhi museum, china

‘xinjin zhi museum’ by kengo kuma and associatesimage courtesy of kengo kuma and associates

the ‘xinjin zhi museum’ by kengo kuma and associates is located at the foot of laojunshan mountain, xin jin, chengdu, in the sichuan prefecture in china. the pavilion sits on a 2,353 m2 site and has been erected to usher people to the holy place of taoism, its architecture speaking to the essence of the spiritual practice through the organization of its space and exhibitions.

on the façade, a tile, made from local materials and produced in traditional methods of the region as a means of paying tribute and emphasizing the taoist philiosophies of nature and balance. these elements are suspended in the air by wire, cladding the edifice in a transparent current which merges the building with its surrounding environment. this decorative and functional component blocks direct sun, allowing liht to gently filter through offering particle-like shade.

interior programs include an exhibition space, which has been designed to move visitors from darkness to light, in a physical sense. from the upper floor, a view of laoujunshan can be enjoyed.

the architecture of the building draws on taoist philosophies of nature and balanceimage courtesy of kengo kuma and associates

a curtain of tiles covers the façade, blocking direct sunlight, gently filtering it offering a particle-like shadeimage courtesy of kengo kuma and associates

general gallery spaceimage courtesy of kengo kuma and associates

entranceimage courtesy of kengo kuma and associates

the pavilion illuminated by nightimage courtesy of kengo kuma and associates