Yan'an is an important birthplace of Chinese culture, in which Baota Mountain is one of the most important tourist attractions. Built in the Tang Dynasty (A.C. 618-907), Baota Tower is a significant historical and cultural heritage in China. Due to historical reasons and natural disasters, the ecological environment of the original scenic spot had been damaged, threatening the safety and security of architectural heritage and the local people. For further sustainable development, it’s necessary to improve infrastructure and other service functions and build the tourist service center, and meanwhile to solve various issues. Therefore, the new center has improved service and other management functions, aiming to provide services including inquiry, exhibition and leisure areas, book store, café and more than 400 parking spaces.
The design team retained and repaired valuable building remains, for implanting original site memory into the design, and reinforced potential loopholes, and controlled flood discharge and soil conservation to respond to possible disasters ahead. Besides, systematic restoration is made to reconstruct fragmented mountain ecology.
The design transforms architectural structures into landscapes that integrates the mountain and landscape with the architecture. The main body of the center is concealed and the roofing integrates with natural environment. The whole architecture becomes a popular public space for tourists and citizens.
The architectural style continues to follow the characteristics of local culture. Local yellow sandstone blocks are handmade by local craftsmen and arranged by color based on the local construction rules. Stones with different colors present rich shadows, textures and vivid color changes in strong sunlight. While preserving traditional construction technology, the construction process generates social benefit by bringing jobs to local craftsmen.
Credits:
- Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tsinghua University CO., LTD. - Architect - Yi Zhou
- Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tsinghua University CO., LTD. - Architect - Wenge Sheng
- Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tsinghua University CO., LTD. - Architect - Tengfei Xu
- Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tsinghua University CO., LTD. - Architect - Rongzi Chen
- Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tsinghua University CO., LTD. - Architect - Kuang Li
- Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tsinghua University CO., LTD. - Architect - Yi Zhang
- Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tsinghua University CO., LTD. - Architect - Weimin Zhuang
- Architectural Design and Research Institute of Tsinghua University CO., LTD. - Architect - Hongjun Tang
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