Peak Art Centre de Vendes

Press Kit

Unique Properties

On the site, we noticed that Xushuguan's profound cultural and historical heritage and prosperity in the old days. However, in the development and construction of modern cities, the traces of the Xushuguan history and culture are gradually dissipating. Accordingly, we hope to use modern design techniques and materials to extend the cultural and historical lineage of Xushuguan and create a modern architectural form available to interpret its traditional spatial context.

Dimensions & Packaging

As for the architectural form, we extracted the sloping roof form from the traditional architecture of Suzhou and Xushuguan in modern techniques to form three sloping roofs. Between two consecutive sloping roofs and one independent sloping roof, the space is linked by a section of flat roof, forming a simple and staggered folded facade profile. It is staggered in height according to function and sight lines. In terms of materials, we adopted stone curtain wall on the mountain wall and roof to strengthen the unity sense of the folding line and use a large glass curtain wall on the part facing the courtyard to greatly incorporate the courtyard landscape into the indoor view and achieve "borrowing scene" and indoor-outdoor interaction, presenting a poetic penetration. For the stone wall, the application of metal inserts delineates the beauty of the wall's planar composition and echoes the application of line elements in oriental architecture.

Tags

display center, sloping roof, Suzhou Garden

Production Technology

In the traditional architecture of Suzhou and Xushuguan, black bricks are the main material for walls, and in Suzhou gardens, there are also openwork treatments to achieve the effect of borrowing scenery and spatial interaction. For the Peak Art project, the wall surface is also partially treated with hollowed out black bricks. Pearl blue and hollowed out black bricks are close in tone, and the matte surface treatment of pearl blue stone echoes and sets off the rougher surface texture of bricks, echoing the local traditional architectural tones and textures with modern materials and techniques.

Design Challenge

Because it is a relatively confined triangular site, the design draws on the Suzhou Garden path to create a sense of spatial hierarchy and playfulness, with the intention of achieving the effect of the small to reflect the large. The buildings are arranged along the long side of the north side as far as possible to leave space for the landscape site; the entrance and the corridor are arranged in an enclosed layout, which shields the noisy and undesirable factors to be developed outside the site and keep the internal space pure. The enclosed veranda, along the urban interface, adopts the translucent U-shaped glass in construction to achieve "ambiguous" communication between the inside and outside of the space.

Research

In the architectural design, we have integrated sustainable concepts and green materials, taking local trees for the landscape planting to reflect the diverse ecology of the area. For the interior courtyard, we have used permeable surfaces and landscaping and installed a rainwater harvesting system to reuse water for irrigation.

Inspiration

Situated in Xushuguan Town, Suzhou, the project is surrounded by old neighborhoods and undeveloped land, with a noisy and desolate environment. The site is located at a crossroads, with a depth of about 35 meters and a length of about 55 meters. This project is only 500 meters away from the Grand Canal in a straight line. Seated on the east bank of the ancient canal, Xushuguan Town has been prosperous since ancient times and was founded in the Qin Dynasty with a history of more than 2,000 years.

Project Duration

The project started in Sep. 2020 and finished in Apr. 2021 in Suzhou, China

Operation Flow

Hopefully, Peak Art can evoke the heritage and revival of the deep historical and cultural heritage of Xushuguan Old Town, as well as its urban memory, realizing the renewal of the urban interface with a garden-style layout and a modern approach to the facade form and bringing warmth and harmony to the neighborhoods.

Image Credits

Photo Cradits: ArhiExist, Sanlengjing