Zhong Xian Bai Juyi 白居易 museum

crossboundaries architects together with the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design is proposing a new urban planning for the central area of the city of Zhongxian.

Recently there were changes in the urban policy of Zhongxian, main reasons for those changes were:
1. the building of the Three Gorges Dam,  which caused the rise of the river water level: part of the city along the riverside had to be removed.

2. the conversion that many Chinese provinces are undertaking by shifting from an agricultural/industrial based economy to one related to tertiary activities, in this case tourism. The plan for Zhongxian is to turn it into a touristic attraction/zone.

Within this urban planning crossboundaries architects was in charge of submitting two proposals: one for a museum dedicated to the local poet Bai Juyi 白居易, the other one for an underwater museum that could also host city meetings.

The museum for a poet:
From Zhongxian comes Bai Juyi 白 居易 , a known Chinese poet of the Tang dynasty. His poems were themed around his responsibilities as a governor of several small provinces symphasizing with his people, but he exerts huge influence upon Asian belle-lettres. He is also known for the accessibility of his language, which also caused his popularity.

Massing:
The surrounding buildings are characterized by high level of density as well as different height. The site,  with a triangular shape, is located on the hill side. The slope is irregular: each side has a different slope. Our proposal imagines  a massive low building that follows the site perimeter but that, with its massing, contrast with the surrounding.

Accessibility:
Windcroft movie full
due to its location and the slope of the site we felt it seemed quite natural to think about the roof as an extension of the street. Therefore the roof as an open terrace, a viewpoint.
Wasn’t Bai Juyi’s poetry accessible ?

crossboundaries architects 和北京市建筑设计研究院正在进行位于忠县市中心的一项城市规划项目。

今年来，忠县正在改变城市策略，这样的改变有几个原因：
1. 由于三峡大坝的建设，江岸水位上升，一些沿江的城市设施需要迁移到别处。

2. 许多中国的省份都在经历从以农业/工业作为经济支柱转向以第三产业作为经济支柱的过程，忠县希望利用自身有利条件发展旅游业，成为旅游型城市。

在这个城市规划项目中，crossboundaries architects 负责两个建筑方案的设计：白居易纪念博物馆和城市水下展览馆。

为一个诗人建造的博物馆：
从忠县走出了白居易——中国唐代的著名诗人。他的诗来自于作为地方官员的他对于人民的责任感，他对亚洲诗文化产生了深远的影响。他的诗语言平实易懂，这使他得到了大众的喜爱。

建筑体量：
基地是位于山腰上的一块三角形地块，周围的建筑密度高且参差错落。基地地坪较复杂，在每一个方向上都有不同的坡度。我们的方案是随着地势的起伏，形成厚重低矮的建筑体量，与周围竖直高耸的建筑环境形成对比。

易达性：
基地的坡度使我们自然而然地想到把建筑的屋顶作为城市道路的延伸。屋顶上是一个开放的平台，是城市里的难得的观景平台。建筑的易达性不正是白居易诗通俗易懂气质最好的诠释吗？