michal krejcik: the square of heavenly peace in beijing

michal krejcik: the square of heavenly peace in beijing
all images courtesy of michal krejcik

the diploma project ‘to heaven through stone’ by michal krejcik at faculty of art and architecture liberec, in the czech republic aims to transform of the square of heavenly peace in beijing. the large piece of land is located the middle of the city and the work looks at how it could be revitalized to attract more diverse activities and people. historically it was the most important gateway in all of ancient china and symbolized the union of the earth and heaven. the famous gate was closed most of the time, only opening for ceremonies or when an emperor passed through.

geometric landscape of mountains surrounds the water surface as the mirror of the sky

a strong, geometric landscape is portrayed in this proposal, and it features nine sacred mountains interpreted into large stones around a central water area. in chinese symbolism mountains stand between earth and heaven, they absorb humidity to make rivers rise out of them and are represented as the home of life. there are nine sacred ones in china that consist of four buddhist and five taoist, traditionally cherished and preserved as places that are homes of transcendent energies. also valued for their ethereal beauty, they represent an image of free existence that seeks to overcome social and political restrictions. acting as a screen, the sculptural stones provide a separate space away from the surrounding environment. the inner spaces are empty, ready to house various events.

image of the mountains standing along the perimeter of the square

‘their emptiness is a symbolic concept double meaning. first, emptiness reflects the condition in which china is now; country of empty forms. it appeals to pragmatic economic thinking which rules in china now. at the same time emptiness is also related to taoism and buddhism where only blissful emptiness and softness remains.’ says the designer.

the mountains are intended to become a place for various events, opportunities and birth of new life in this area

the adaptation to this famous square creates new opportunities and life for the city center. these landscape elements are surrounded by a ‘golden encounter space’, a semi-open courtyard that functions as a foyer area. the place becomes one of interaction, it welcomes people in, changing the overall atmosphere of tiananmen square.

golden semi opened courtyards surrounding each mountain

imprint of the legend into the mountain’s cavern

rooms for artistic events with an atmosphere refers to each mountain

the chinese gate has been standing here for centuries and it expresses the connection of earth and heaven

‘nine great’ sacred mountains located on the map of china

field division and the roots of the mountains

axonometric

site plan showing the proposal within the context of central beijing

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.