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Press Release

High Purity Taoist Palace on the Site Protective Shelter

A' Design Award 2023 Silver Winner in Architecture, Building and Structure Design

20 April 2023

High Purity Taoist Palace on the Site Protective Shelter by Guanghai Cui
High Purity Taoist Palace on the Site Protective Shelter by Guanghai Cui
High Purity Taoist Palace on the Site Protective Shelter by Guanghai Cui
High Purity Taoist Palace on the Site Protective Shelter by Guanghai Cui
High Purity Taoist Palace on the Site Protective Shelter by Guanghai Cui

Guanghai Cui

The architectural form of the shelter was designed to recall the classical Chinese architectural style with curved hip roofs and gable roofs with various volumes and other modern architectural features, clearly manifesting the hierarchic order of the historical buildings of the Taoist palace, which helps to recall the genius loci of this site. The spaces of the courtyard and the halls in history were built with modern architecture according to plan manifested by archaeological information to represent the sense of a traditional Taoist Palace.

Press Kit

Unique Properties
The architectural form of the shelter was designed to recall the classical Chinese architectural style with curved hip roofs and gable roofs with various volumes and other modern architectural features, clearly manifesting the hierarchic order of the historical buildings of the Taoist palace, which helps to recall the genius loci of this site.
Dimensions & Packaging
Site area: 11365㎡
Total floor area of the protective shelter: 5117.3㎡.
Tags
Protective Shelter, High Purity Taoist Palace, Archaeological Site, Religious, Local
Production Technology
A steel structure was applied to create a column-free space of both 30m in length and width for the main shelter, with curved hip roof similar to that in the most important classical Chinese buildings. Four different forms of foundations were chosen and precisely constructed to minimize interference on the unearthed remains and the underground relics. The section of the column plinths in the courtyard was reduced to 5cm in diameter to protect the pavements of cobblestones.
Design Challenge
The archaeological site should be conserved according to such professional standards and principles as distinguishability, minimal intervention, reversibility, sustainability, and etc. It should also be used as a Taoist religious place as in tradition and serves for religious rituals as Taoist Granting, sacrificial rites and daily worshiping. Therefore, the genius loci of the site were respected and emphasized in the design to achieve a balance between conservation and religious usage.
Project Duration
Construction work commenced in May 2019 and was completed in July 2021 in Yingtan, Jiangxi.
Operation Flow
The spaces of the courtyard and the halls in history were built with modern architecture according to plan manifested by archaeological information to represent the sense of a traditional Taoist Palace. A main shelter was designed in the center of the courtyard on the site of Goddess of Earth Hall, in connection with the Three-Purities Hall at the end of the central axis to create a continuous column free space for presentation and religious purposes.
Research
The project aims to achieve the goals of conservation, exhibition and interpretation of the archaeological remains excavated of the historic High Purity Taoist Palace in an innovative way to balance between the requirements of modern conservation and architectural self-discipline, and the desire and expectation of local communities and the Taoist religious group.
Inspiration
As it was expected by the local communities and religious group to build a new Taoist palace in pseudo-classical Chinses style on the site long before, the conservation project of protective shelters, interpretation and exhibition of the relics, and other preservation measures has finally helped to meet the demands of local people and to continue the tradition of this living heritage in a balanced way with modern architectural philosophy and technologies.

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