archstudio excavates normal college library at peking university

archstudio excavates normal college library at peking university
all images courtesy of wang ning

archstudio’s work for the normal college library of imperial university of peking might be best described as an excavation project. the building was originally built in 1922 by france, denmark, the U.S. and germany — with stylistic choices in fashion with the republic of china era. in the near-century since, the structure has gone through countless changes and has played the role of library, restaurant, hotel, and more.

interior

when archstudio was asked to complete the project, it was to repurpose the interior as a gallery. the team began by attempting to save any historical traces left in the mostly decimated interior. a range of methods were undertaken to remove all unnecessary decoration, and reconstruction was planned to both protect discovered elements, and introduce practical items for modern day use.

traditional and contemporary materials merge within the interior 

due to a complete lack of original drawings, archstudio simultaneously demolished and rebuilt the structure. after results of destruction were analyzed, a final plan was detailed and implemented. the chosen path was to ‘nest’ the interior, by creating a series of inner layers that line the space; much like the internals of an insulated thermos.

internal cube with skylight to ceiling 

the design was completed by archstudio 

walkway 

room 

different greys are used to distinguish architectural elements

original shell  

designed insert  

contemporary interior 

exterior

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