Project: Hunan Art Museum

Architect: Shanghai Architectural Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd (SIADR), Huajian Group

Architect in chief: Su Shi, Gong Ya

Address: No. 2, Jinjiang Road, Yuelu District, Changsha, Hunan Province, China

Floorage: 30,000 square meters

Project year: 2019

LOPO Terracotta Panel Product: White, Red Glazing Finish

The project is located on the west bank of Xiangjiang River in Changsha, Hunan Province, adjacent to Central South University. The project plans a number of public art facilities along the Xiangjiang River, which becomes a public space with a unique cultural ambience in Changsha. The complex consists of two separate functions, namely, the Hunan Art Museum and the House of Literature and Art. The museum provides exhibition space for art works; whereas the House of Literature and Art mainly serves as a theater, and conducts artistic communication. The project was recently opened to the public.

The architect used a continuous horizontal fold lines to create an enclosed, multi-directional three-dimensional space, and the fold lines gradually bring the building complex together and come as a whole. Under the changing ambient light, the visual effect of the shadow created by the scattered blocks on the whole building makes it smooth and powerful. The well-arranged blocks naturally form a plurality of semi-enclosed courtyards, accommodating both outdoor exhibitions and leisure activities. The interaction between these open spaces and the external space brings an intimate and diverse experience to the visitors.

Historically and culturally, Hunan is always perceived as a cradle of revolution with great enthusiasm, vitality and bold temperament. The architect chose vermilion as the main color of the building, trying to bring its historically connotation to the facade image of the building. The whole building looks like a red seal standing on the banks of the river.

The architect used red glazed terracotta panels on a large scale. In the light and shadow, through void and solid, together with intersected terracotta panels, it creates a splendid color effect whose charm and beauty are beyond words. The glazed surface is ever-changing under the sunlight. The vermilion terracotta panels present a rich transition of warm colors, and the texture of the façade also vary with the change of light. LOPO designed and produced triangular and trapezoidal terracotta panels (with several different sizes) for this project, which were installed vertically and horizontally, and formed special architectural textures according to the design requirements of each building block.

The white blocks of the building at the top adopts LOPO's white glazed terracotta panels. These glazed terracotta panels are cut into irregular polygons of varying sizes and subtly stitched together to form a complete facade. Looking from a distance, this part of the building’s facade seems like a vertically folded calligraphy and painting rice paper. When you walk closer, on a second sight, it looks like cracked glazed terracotta panel, which is of distinct Chinese features. The glaze reflects the rich color around and the white building blocks’color yield numerous changes and carries a profound connotation. Intersected with the red lines, it forms a fusion of void and solid, rigidity and softness, yin and yang.

When it comes to the usage of natural and environmentally friendly Terracotta Cladding materials, glazed terracotta panels offer the large public buildings a wide range of selections of design. When the infinite color range encounters various shapes and surface treatments, the terracotta panels offers numerous possibilities for the design space.

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