Title of Project： Jiashan Museum and Library

Location: Jiashan County， Zhejiang， China

Time of Design: Dec. 2013- Oct.2014

Time of Construction: 2015- 2018

Site Area (m^­2)：22480m^­2

Floor Area (m^­2)：47800 m^­2

Note: This project is the work of the chief architect during the period of UAD

项目名称: 嘉善博物馆和图书馆

项目地点: 浙江嘉善县

设计时间：2013年12月-2014年10月

建造时间：2015年-2018年

用地面积：22480 m^­2

占地面积：47800 m^­2

Jiashan is an eco-friendly and green development demonstration area in the Yangtze River Delta, a Top 100 Chinese county, as well as the only county-level scientific development demonstration area in China. Jiashan Museum & Library is a cultural complex, which is intended to offer local citizens a public cultural activity venue and to greatly enhance the cultural vitality of the county.

The three building volumes are arranged at appropriate positions according to their respective functions. The museum is set at the southeast corner and near an intersection. It has a closed facade, which shows a clean, neat and iconic image. The library sits on the north side and faces the river. It boasts ample daylighting on north and sides, and the museum isolates it from the noisy urban road. The building volume at southwest corner and close to the open urban landscape area accommodates shared ancillary facilities for the museum and library, including lecture hall, casual dining area, etc.

With a limited plot area, the project lacks space to accommodate a large-capacity outdoor public activity venue. The site is adjacent to an open urban landscape space, which is under planning but the construction has been postponed. Therefore, the architects had to explore and conceive architectural spaces within the plot. Based on site conditions, the architects took the open void at the middle as the core, and combined three architectural volumes around it to enclose a square for the crowd, which is also an outdoor extension of the foyers of the library and museum.

he square provides resting space for citizens, while also connecting the museum and library. Moreover, it serves diversified public activities such as outdoor exhibition, pop-up book market, etc., fully embodying the functions and image of an urban “knowledge hall and cultural living room”. The design draws inspiration from local cultural context. Jiashan is located in the north of Zhejiang Province, and adjoins Shanghai and Jiangsu. It features a dense water network and developed shipping industry. In Ming and Qing dynasties, Jiashan was known as the “Country of a Thousand Kilns”, because the kiln industry in the county back then was prosperous and most of its bricks were produced for imperial palaces. The form of the square takes design cues from local brick kilns. It’s an abstract yet modern “brick kiln” space, which reflects a meaningful attempt to extend building boundaries. Meanwhile, it blurs the boundary between interior and outside, openness and privacy.

The architecture has a smooth and simple appearance, which is complemented by large areas of flat and light-hued stone curtain walls and characterized by texture contrast. Inner facades draw on the stacked structures of brick kilns, and form brick-red curved surfaces. The strong contrast of external and inner facades implies the idea that the unexpected and spectacular is hidden in a plain shell. The whole architecture is like a natural jade that reveals brilliance after being cut open. It’s also like a city that collects culture and treasure, which echoes the design theme “Book Repository and Treasure Kiln”.

嘉善，是长三角生态绿色一体化发展示范区、全国综合实力百强县之一，更是全国唯一一个国家命名的“县域科学发展示范点”。嘉善图书馆和博物馆，在建设之初即希望作为一个文化综合体，可以成为当地市民日常访问的公共文化活动场所，极大的提升城市的文化活力。

三个体量分别占据符合其功能的位置。东南角临十字路口为博物馆，立面封闭，并形成干净利落的城市标志性视角。北面临河为图书馆，南北两面均有足量的采光，并被博物馆阻隔而远离喧嚣的城市道路。西南角临城市开放景观空间是共享区，包含报告厅、简餐等两馆共享的设施。

项目自身用地面积不宽裕，缺乏足够的空间来容纳大人流量的室外公共活动场所，虽然在用地西侧贴邻有规划中的城市开放景观空间，因其建设计划滞后，设计之初我们只能立足于在地块内挖掘空间。在自身用地比较紧张的条件下，项目设计以中央虚的开放空间为核，汇聚三个建筑体量，围合出人流集会场所，并成为图书馆、博物馆各自门厅的室外延续。

它不仅是连接两馆的交通空间和到访者休憩的广场空间，也可作为室外展示，假日书市等更丰富的市民活动场所，体现了城市“知识殿堂，文化客厅”的形象和功能内涵。嘉善地处浙北，与上海、江苏接壤，水网密布，船运发达，明清时期窑业兴盛，多产“京砖”，史称“千窑之镇”。内庭形态设计灵感来源于当地的砖窑空间，这个被抽象化了的现代“砖窑”空间是关于延伸建筑边界非常有意义的尝试，并模糊了室内和室外、开敞和安静、公共和私密之间的界限。

建筑外表平整朴实，饰以平整的、体量化的浅色石材幕墙，并有细致的纹理对比。内立面模仿层层叠砌的构造方式，塑造了砖红色玲珑曲面。这种内外对比隐喻了平凡外表下“内藏珍奇”的构思，使整座建筑物如原生璞玉剖开后透露光华，又如一座城池收藏文化与财富，呼应了“博库珍窑”的主题。