Five hyperboloid roofs, made of concrete, cover masonry stone art center designed by Chinese architecture practice Studio Zhu Pei in Zibo, Shandong, China.

Named Zibo OCT Art Center, the 2,471-square-metre art center has been conceived as "an introverted experimental work", located in an open area far away from the city. 

Southeast view. Image © Jin Weiqi

Being expressive in its architectural form, the project takes cues from the traditional Chinese academy, “Heyuan”, which means a central courtyard surrounded by several houses.

Studio Zhu Pei creates a porous, eaves-out, and ring-shaped building offering a huge roof overhang that draws inspiration from the local culture and responds to the site's specific climate. 

Main entrance and landscape water pool. Image © Jin Weiqi

"This configuration also highlights the publicity of the building. Under the environment of shade and rain, people can also do semi-outdoor activities," according to the studio.

The volumes are placed around a central courtyard, making the heart of the art center. Multifunctional room and lobby are arranged in front side of the building, three exhibition halls are placed at the rear side. Landscape and landscape pool give the characteristics of the complex. 

Aerial view of the central courtyard. Image © Jin Weiqi

The central courtyard is designed as a void space, which can be transformed into a gathering space especially for the opening of the exhibition. 

On a rainy day, semi-outdoor activities are allowed in the hallway. The studio envisioned the building as "a sponge-like porous building" so that it can accommodate many people, create a lot of shadows and achieve shading and shelter from rain.

Central courtyard. Image © Jin Weiqi

The building's architecture has a simple layout and relatively rough with its material characters. Two basic materials are used in the complex: concrete roof and masonry stone walls. 

The shape of the roof in a hyperboloid form seems interesting, giving the sense of modern shelter feeling. As the studio explained, the roofs sag due to gravity in nature, which also brings good tension to space. 

Main entrance. Image © Jin Weiqi

Inside, although people are in a seemingly rectangular and simple space, due to the change of the roof, the homogeneous space becomes very tense. 

"Some places will be tight, and some will be loose, reflecting the sense of movement and strength of the building," said the studio. The structure of the roof is made of rough fair-faced concrete poured on site. 

Lobby and reception. Image © Jin Weiqi

For construction technique, the studio built the complex by using local rough masonry stone walls commonly used by locals, which is characteristic of northern China, especially in Shandong Province.

Exhibition hall. Image © Jin Weiqi

Exhibition hall. Image © Jin Weiqi

Semi-outdoor space. Image © XIA ZHI PICTURES

Concrete and stone wall details. Image © XIA ZHI PICTURES

Concrete and stone wall details. Image © XIA ZHI PICTURES

Entrance to multifunctional room. Image © Jin Weiqi

Multifunctional room. Image © Jin Weiqi

Sunken courtyard. Image © Jin Weiqi

Stone walls and water pool. Image © Jin Weiqi

Concrete and stone walls. Image © Jin Weiqi

View from the water pool to outdoor space. Image © Jin Weiqi

Northeast aerial view. Image © XIA ZHI PICTURES

Night view of the central courtyard. Image © Jin Weiqi

Exhibition hall. Image © Jin Weiqi

Natural light is brought in through the windows of varying scales. Image © Jin Weiqi

Site plan 

Ground floor plan

Underground floor plan

Section 1

Section 2

Section 3

East elevation

South elevation

Axonometric drawing

Wood model-Southwest view

Sketch by Zhu Pei 

Project facts

Project name: Zibo OCT Art Center

Architecture, Interior and Landscape Design: Studio Zhu Pei

Location: Zibo, Shandong, China

Design Year: 2019

Completion Year: 2020

Site area: 27,792m2

Gross floor area: 2,471m2

Design Principal: Zhu Pei

Design Team: Wilson Nugroho Markhono, Yina Luo Moore, You Changchen, Zhang Shun, Liu Yian, Ji Ming, Chen Yanhong, Liu Ling

Cooperative Design in Landscape: L&A Design

Cooperative Design in Structural and MEP:: Zibo Architecture Design and Research Institute

Consultants

Façade: King Glass Engineering CO., LTD.

Lighting: Ning Field Lighting Design CO., LTD.

Client: Zibo OCT Group CO., LTD.

Main Contractor: Taixing No.1 Construction Group CO., LTD.

Top image © XIA ZHI PICTURES.  

Photographs © Jin Weiqi, XIA ZHI PICTURES. 

All drawings & model © Studio Zhu Pei.

> via Studio Zhu Pei

art center concrete Shandong Studio Zhu Pei