As the most integrally preserved water-town in Shanghai, Zhujiajiao attracts an increasing number of visitors every year with its authentic tradition of eastern China.The site, located at the entry of the old town, faces two 400-year-old ginkgo trees. This 2,300 sqm museum will house paintings and other art works related to the town.
Here we aim to design an art-visit experience that is rooted in Zhujiajiao. The architecture will be the carrier of this experience.
In the spatial allocation, the central atrium becomes the heart of the circulation, which was surrounded by all the galleries. We provide middle size galleries in the basement and on the ground floor, and small galleries in several dispersed “houses” on the second floor. The building-courtyard layout makes a clear reference to the figure-ground texture of the old town, and orientates the visitors to wander between the art works and the real sceneries with an experience of interactions between matter and thought. A reflecting pool, laid in the east courtyard on the second floor, accomplishes an ultimate collection by borrowing the reflection of the ginkgo tree into the museum.
