Vermilion Zhou Design Group from Shanghai finished Song Art Museum which is located in Beijing, China. In the museum with 199 pine trees, the oriental sense becomes the natural rhythm of mutual attraction between traditional and modern architecture.

According to the design group, the owner's intention was to transform its function into an art space for the public using. So their first step was to remove all the decorations from the architecture to show her purely look.

"The whole base shaped like Chinese long scroll, we reconsidered the relationship between architecture and courtyards. We selected and arranged almost 199 pine trees to scatter around, taking the art museum as the main building, restoration of ancient buildings and resettlement of ancient archway at two side, these are present owners preference and positioning the museum as an oriental style," explained Vermilion Zhou Design Group.

The design group thinks that "blank-leaving" is the most artistic expression in the art of Chinese painting, and the "geometrical" form is the most objective expression in Western logical thinking. Therefore, they removed the symbols of the Western to give the purest whiteness to the architecture of the museum, connected together with new corridor by several different geometric buildings, in order to have new conversation in between; indoor the vertical circulation, giving more dimensions of stretching.

The studio added that, "the significance of the art museum is to present the art. As a platform for displaying it, our definition of " Song Art Museum" is an "art container", with "art" as its mainstay and "container" as its complement, and in the future it can also easy be duplicated in any other place with its own language, we intent to give the architecture and space more possibility."  

"Song Art Museum transforms everything into geometry, purity, like Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said 'Govern without intervention' from the outside to inner. With its "clean" existence, any kind of "contemporary art" is welcome to enter, to vitality showing without scruples. The courtyard surrounded by the pine trees, to give the external vitality of Song Art Museum, the scenery becomes the breath of both inside and outside."

Master plan

1st floor plan

2nd floor plan

Basement plan

Elevations

Project Facts

Project Location: Beijing, China

Completion: 2017.09

Total area: 22000 sqm

Architectural interior: 2200 sqm

Design Team:

Creative Director, Lead Designer: Kuang Ming(Ray) Chou

Architecture Design Director: Shi Hai

Interior Design Director: Garvin Hung

Lighting Design Director: Vera Chu

Architect: Huang Jing

Interior Designer: Jamie Pai

Decoration Designers: Mavis Huang, Boyuan Ling

All images © Xia Zhi

> via Vermilion Zhou Design Group