‘Open Village’ is an arthouse situated in a disused Cement Plant in a rural village. It stands as a centre-piece for Jia-Zhangke Art Centre.
The arthouse aspires to be a potent seedling sprouting from the factory’s remnant into the light of cultural prosperity. It’s name ‘Open Village’ was derived from the classic play ‘Rome, Open City’.
The brick structure of the cinema was originally a drying facility that housed multiple rotary kilns. During the renovation process, architect thoughfully preserved all the architectural relics of brick walls and structural frames, as remembrance of the building’s past life.
Opposite to the cinema stands a bookstore for cultural readers, it was renovated from a brick cement silo.
Contrary to other superficial 'facadist' architecture, which only preserves the elevation to give a classic veneer, 'Open Village' does the otherwise by keeping the intact original building encased within a new envelope.
The elevation has been meticulously designed to harmonize with its industrial context. This can be reflected in the techniques of brick laying and details of threshold and glazings.
Various brick laying patterns were applied to the elevation. Pierce brick screens rippled across the facade to disrupt the banality of an ordinary brick wall. Aesthetics aside, these screen are also practical 'brise soleil' shading system.
The glazed staircase manifested itself as a pure polychromatic crystal, thanks to the application of spider fittings, which hold glass panels together without the obtrusive aluminium frames.
When all these elements came into play, the stone cold building was animated into a dynamic hub like a potent seed emerging from the soil.
In May, 2019, the Open Village Arthouse witnessed the opening ceremony of the first Lvliang Literature Festival. The event marked the commencement of this fertile seedbed for literature and cinematic art.
Credits:
- Design Architect, Interior Designer - Shimu Wang
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