Architecture, Art, Archeology and Sophisticated Technology Come Together in this Unusual Design
Architecture, art, archeology and sophisticated technology come together in this unusual design which nurtures and becomes one with the terrain and the green around it, while strictly keeping its promise to function. This semi-enclosed, single-spanned and double-skinned structure carefully protects the precious and fragile world heritage site in its natural condition, by protecting it from rain while allowing air and indirect light. Keeping the concept of minimum interference and reversibility, the structure is designed to merge seamlessly with the surroundings over time.
The Peking Man Cave is deep-sunken area in the shape of a rectangular, with 35 meters on the west-east side, 5 to 8 meters on the north-south side and 30 meters deep. The Cave is surrounded by the remaining precipice after a collapse, which bears the archaeological cultural layers. The archaeological site covers an area of 1340sqm, while the rock mass around the site covers an area of 1538sqm. This project aims to provide the site shelter from wind and water. Ecological passive design methods were applied to reduce the amplitude of temperature and humidity. A semi-closed structure was adopted to maintain the natural condition of Peking-Man Cave, and to act as a bufering space that prevents it from the uncertainties.
In accordance with the conservation principles of minimal interference and reversibility, a large-span space steel structure of a single-layer reticulated shell was adopted to stretch across the whole Peking Man Cave, with the two rows of its stress points distributed on the top of the upland on south and at the foot on the north, all of which located on the flat rock mass outside the sensitive area unsuitable for load-bearing, and kept way from the site per se and the rock mass it is attached to.
A minimal covered area was thus realised. During the whole construction work, all the components were prefabricated of-site and assembled on-site, to minimise its interference to the site. It also ensured the possibility of its dismantling when necessary to restore the original appearance of the site.
Project Information
Project Name: The Protective Shelter of Locality 1 Archaeological Site of Zhoukoudian Peking Man Cave
Location: China
Architect: Guanghai Cui
Post a Comment for "Architecture, Art, Archeology and Sophisticated Technology Come Together in this Unusual Design"