De Yang Shi, Guanghan City, China
The new Sanxingdui Museum project by China Southwest Architecture Design and Research Institute (CSWADI) reorganizes the functions of the existing buildings and improve visitor circulation throughout the park.
The initial purpose was to extend the boundaries of the park over three mounds located on the roof of the building, which gradually descend towards the north bank of the river and integrate the building into the Yangtze River landscape.
The project establishes a circuit connecting various buildings that serve the archaeological site in Guanghan City, China.
The Sanxingdui relic site, located 40 kilometers north of Chengdu on the banks of the Yazi River and west of Guanghan City, holds a civilization that dates back 4,800 years.
It has yielded tens of thousands of exquisite cultural relics through archaeological excavations.
Sanxingdui occupies a significant position globally in the realm of bronze culture and is renowned as the “source of Yangtze River civilization.”
In November 2019, the exploration and excavation of the Sanxingdui site recommenced, leading to the discovery of several national treasure-level cultural relics within the six newly-found artifact pits.
This momentous find astounded the world again, signifying a new era in Sanxindui archaeology.
CSWADI has created an interior space similar to a cave, which gives rise to the reception area.
Visitors enter this area through a void in the mass of the building that acts as a window for dialogue between the internal world and the external ruins.
At the central point of the museum’s circulation route, a spiral connects the different levels of the building, creating a vertical spiritual space.
Large panoramic windows allow visitors to admire the picturesque river landscape while exploring a sequence of seamlessly connected exhibition halls, creating an engaging and immersive experience.
The building’s exterior materials emphasize uniqueness, featuring “chrysanthemum yellow” granite to symbolize the color of the earth and oxidized brass plates designed to mimic the green, mottled texture of unearthed cultural relics.
Project: Sanxingdui Museum
Architects: China Southwest Architecture Design and Research Institute (CSWADI)
Lead Architect: Liu Yi
Project Architects: Xiao Bo and Yang Yang
Design Team: Yang Pengcheng, Sha Peng, Wan Yaling, Xin Zhen, Liu Yu, Choi Tsingfei, Ding Hongya, Chen Shuo, Huang Xiangyu, Qiu Yanquan, Li Mu, and Qiao Cong
Client: Sanxingdui Museum
Photographers: Arch-Exist