Increasing The Connections between The Internal Program and The Site Beyond

Located on the campus of a private educational institution in Shenzhen, the China Resources Archive Library has a dual programme – the building’s primary function is to serve as an archive for the client, holding all its physical and digital records in a subterranean vault built into the hillside that serves as the project site. Atop the archive, the building functions as a gallery space and lecture hall that serves the adjacent campus, adding a civic and cultural dimension to the project.   

The project’s upper two floors that house the building’s public programmes are restricted to a boxy massing defined by the footprint of the archive vaults beneath. To increase the connections between the internal program and the site beyond, two interior public spaces were created: an understated entry lobby connecting to the main campus, and a dramatic exhibition space with views of the city and landscape beyond. The two spaces are connected by a linear “skylight hall” which provides access to the gallery and lecture hall spaces within. 

Project Information

Project Name: CRG Archive Library

Location: China

Architect: Yichen Lu