Inkstone House OCT Linpan Cultural Center is located in Anren, an ancient town in Dayi County. Archi-Union Architects designed the
building to celebrate the heritage and customs of this area of Western
Sichuan.The centre's form is based on the inkstone used in traditional
Chinese calligraphy, which has a water-holding cavity incorporated into a
surface used to grind inksticks.
The building's outline also references traditional Chinese architecture, with a stable base supporting a pedestal roof that is
interpreted for the 21st century as a more flexible and dynamic form.
"The roof leans towards the inner courtyard through an elegant curve to connect the boundary of the sky and the earth, and to rethink the
elements of the place and their relationship," said Archi-Union
Architects founder Philip F Yuan.Dayi County's history is intertwined
with the unique Linpan landscape model, which refers to a settlement
system based on an ecological farming culture that has existed for
millennia.
Linpan comprises smallholdings supported by an ancient irrigation system that created a semi-natural wetland ecosystem shared by people
and wildlife. The harmony between nature, human habitation and industry
continues to define everyday life on the Western Sichuan Plain.Tucked
away within a typically rural setting and reached via a path that winds
through the woods, Inkstone House will serve as a demonstration centre
for the future redevelopment of the Linpan area.
The local government is collaborating with the Overseas Chinese Town Holdings Company on plans to integrate urban development within the
traditional Linpan context.
"The whole architectural design starts from the binary relationship of the land," said Yuan. "While inheriting the prototype of
architectural typology, it tries to shape the new feeling of the
oriental space."The brick structure is elevated above the ground, to
preserve the natural ecology and habitat of local animals, and is topped
with a slate roof featuring large overhanging eaves. The roof's inner
surface swoops down towards a central courtyard containing a cluster of
reflecting ponds.
Inside the cultural centre, a reception, an exhibition area, a conference facility and corresponding auxiliary functions are
accommodated on the ground floor.A staircase sweeps upwards along the
inside of the brick outer wall to a glazed circulation space that
affords views across the landscape, as well as inwards onto the
courtyard.The first floor contains a series of multipurpose rooms that
can be used for various functions such as tea tasting, music, dining and
playing chess.
The main construction materials for the cultural centre are laminated wood, recycled brick and slate. These typical building
materials are combined with digital fabrication methods to create
distinctly contemporary forms.Archi-Union Architects is known for
applying experimental research in its projects, with a particular focus
on "parametric construction, robot construction and green
industrialisation."
For Inkstone House, digital technologies were used to create the most structurally rational shape through a process involving "geometric
form-finding calculation, structural performance simulation, iterative
and optimisation processes."
The building's brick facade was largely prefabricated off site to reduce construction time. The 1,000-square-metre brick surface was
divided into more than 400 units that were built by robots in a factory
before being transported to the site and assembled.
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