Micro Yuan'er Children's Library and Art Centre

Last updated

The Micro Yuan'er Children's Library and Art Centre is located in the heart of Beijing, China. [1] Located in the hundreds-year-old Cha'er hutong, a Chinese courtyard, surrounded by family homes, [2] the award-winning structure is recognized for its blend of old and new architecture.

Contents

Funded by the municipal government, [3]   the building is part of an urban development program [3]   to enhance the lives of residents while preserving hutong history.  

Micro Hutong Renewal

Zhang Ke of ZAO/standard architecture in Beijing designed the children's library and art centre as part of a hutong renewal project. [3] [4] Ke has a Master of Architecture from Harvard and is credited with bringing Ivy League design to the hutongs. [5] The architect believes it is good for the municipality to use small-scale construction as part of urban development. [6]

Located about one kilometre from Tiananmen Square and near a major mosque, the Cha'er hutong measures 350 square metres. [7]  It was a typical Da-Za-Yuan, which means big, messy courtyard, [8]  where up to a dozen families had lived for about 400 years. [7] The hutong contained a temple that was turned into residences in the 1950s. [9]  The municipal government's Dashilar Investment [3]  requested proposals for how to use the space, choosing a children's library. [6]   The project's construction took place between 2012 and 2014. [9]

Since the 1950s, most families living there had added on a small kitchen in the courtyard. [10] Although most recent renovations eliminate add-on structures like these, the architects redesigned, renovated, and reused the remaining structures to create the library and art spaces, [3] preserving this oft-neglected layer of Beijing's contemporary civil history. [11]

The builders constructed the 9 metre square library beneath the pitched roof of another building in the courtyard. [3] It is made of plywood [2] and concrete mixed with Chinese ink [11] to blend with its grey urban surroundings. [12] Steps inside the building create an elevated reading area in front of a wide window, encouraging children to climb up and read a book. [8] Builders also transformed a former kitchen beneath a large Chinese scholar tree into a six-metre square micro art space [11] using recycled bricks. [6]

In 2016, the Hutong Children's Library and Art Centre project received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, one of six winners worldwide. [13] The award jury praised the project for its modification and re-use of a historic building and its embodiment of life in traditional courtyard residences. [3] The hutong renewal project appeared at Beijing Design Week 2014 and the Venice Architecture Biennale 2016. [5] CNN called the architect a "game changer in Chinese design" for his various courtyard projects. [5]

Facilities

The building contains a children's library and an elevated reading nook where children can read in front of a picture window. [3] There is a miniature art space nearby. [11] In one room, an artist may show children how to create paper cut art while a multifunction space is suitable for showing movies. [6] A large, hundreds-year-old scholar tree at the site provides a place for children to play. [12]

Social Impact

Local residents see the hutong renewal project as good for the community as the area was transformed from piles of rubbish to a place where children come to play and learn. [6]  Hutong life revived through this project and enriched community bonds. [7] The project helped preserve historic buildings [3] instead of leveling the area for large-scale construction, bridging the gap between modern development and tradition. [5] Hutong renewal helps keep families in the community where they have lived possibly for hundreds of years instead of relocating to distant apartment towers, preserving their community bonds. [6]

Related Research Articles

Charles Correa Indian architect

Charles Mark Correa was an Indian architect and urban planner. Credited for the creation of modern architecture in post-Independent India, he was celebrated for his sensitivity to the needs of the urban poor and for his use of traditional methods and materials.

Aga Khan Award for Architecture architecture prize

The Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) is an architectural prize established by Aga Khan IV in 1977. It aims to identify and reward architectural concepts that successfully address the needs and aspirations of Muslim societies in the fields of contemporary design, social housing, community development and improvement, restoration, reuse and area conservation, as well as landscape design and improvement of the environment.

Snøhetta is an international architecture, landscape architecture, interior design and brand design office based in Oslo, Norway and New York City with studios in San Francisco, California, Innsbruck, Austria, Paris, France, Hong Kong, China, Adelaide, Australia and Stockholm, Sweden. Founded by Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, Christoph Kapeller and Craig Edward Dykers.

ArchNet maps

Archnet is a collaborative digital humanities project focused on Islamic architecture and the built environment of Muslim societies more generally. Conceptualized in 1998 and originally developed at the MIT School of Architecture and Planning in co-operation with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, it has been maintained by the Aga Khan Documentation Center at MIT and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture since 2011.

Aga Khan Museum museum dedicated to Islamic art in Toronto, Canada

The Aga Khan Museum is a museum of Islamic art, Iranian (Persian) art and Muslim culture located at 77 Wynford Drive in the North York district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The first museum in the western world dedicated to Islamic art and objects, it houses more than 1,000 rare objects including artifacts from the private collections of His Highness the Aga Khan, the Institute of Ismaili Studies in London, and Prince and Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan. As an initiative of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network, the museum is dedicated to presenting an overview of the artistic, intellectual, and scientific contributions that Muslim civilizations have made to world heritage. The Museum’s mission is to foster a greater understanding and appreciation of the contribution that Muslim civilizations have made to world heritage. Through education, research, and collaboration, the Museum will foster dialogue and promote tolerance and mutual understanding among people. In addition to the Permanent Collection, the Aga Khan Museum features several temporary exhibitions each year that respond to current scholarship, emerging themes, and new artistic developments. The Museum Collection and exhibitions are complemented by educational programs and performing arts events.

Ramses Wissa Wassef (1911–1974) was an Egyptian architect and professor of art and architecture at the College of Fine Arts in Cairo and founder of the Ramses Wissa Wassef Art Centre.

Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat, Ottawa

The Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada is a building of the Aga Khan Foundation Canada located between the Embassy of Saudi Arabia and the Lester B. Pearson Building on Sussex Drive. It was opened in 2008.

Šerefudins White Mosque Mosque located in Visoko, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Šerefudin's White Mosque is a mosque located in Visoko, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is of great architectural importance to the city and area. The mosque's architect was Zlatko Ugljen, the craftsman was Ismet Imamović, while the contractor was Zvijezda from Visoko. Original mosque was built in 1477, but it was completely reconstructed and finished in 1980. Its most notable award came in 1983, when it received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture. The jury commended the mosque for its boldness, creativity and brilliance, as well as its originality and innovation. In 2007 it received another recognition, this time from Hungarian architects for being one of the three best designed places of worship in Europe.

Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs

The Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs (IFI) is located at the American University of Beirut (AUB). This independent institute develops policy research in the Arab region and provides a space for the exchange ideas. The Institute building gained international attention by winning a prestigious architecture award in 2016.

Henning Larsen Architects is an international architectural firm based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1959 by noted Danish architect and namesake Henning Larsen, it has around 300 employees. In 2011, the company worked on projects in more than 20 countries.

Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios architectural firm in Bath, United Kingdom

Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios is a British architectural design firm, established in 1978, with offices in Bath, London, Manchester, Belfast and Edinburgh. The firm is known for its pioneering work in sustainable design and social design agenda.

Arif Hasan, is a Pakistani architect, planner, activist, social researcher, and writer. He is a recipient of Hilal-i-Imtiaz, the country's highest award for its citizens.

Friendship (NGO) non-governmental organization

Friendship is a needs-driven non-governmental organisation that works in the Char islands and riverbanks of northern Bangladesh, the coastal belt in the south, and as of 2017, the Rohingya refugee camps in Ukhia, Cox's Bazar in the southeast. Established by Runa Khan in 2002, Friendship works to empower people through a sustainable, integrated development approach.

The Halawa House or Agamy Beach House is a house located in Agami, Egypt that incorporates traditional Islamic and Egyptian prototypes. The project was completed in 1975 by Abdel-Wahed El-Wakil and was among the first recipients of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 1980. It is named after the project's client, Esmat Ahmed Halawa. The project was conceived as a method to bridge traditional forms and indigenous elements into a functional design for modern living.

Superkilen Public park in Copenhagen

Superkilen is a public park in the Nørrebro district of Copenhagen, Denmark. The park is designed to bring refugees and locals together, promoting tolerance in one of Denmark's most ethnically-diverse and socially-challenged communities. Not only is the park a meeting place for local residents, it is a tourist attraction for Copenhagen. Designed by the arts group Superflex with the collaboration of Bjarke Ingels Group and Topotek1, a German landscape architecture firm, the park was officially opened in June 2012. The almost kilometre-long park's name refers to its shape, "kilen" meaning "wedge".

Wu Liangyong Chinese urban planner

Wu Liangyong is a Chinese architect and urban planner. He was a former professor in urban planning, architecture and design. In preparation to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, he was leading the team that studied the buildings of the games. He is considered the most influential architect and urban planner in China.

Taikoo Li Sanlitun shopping centre in the Sanlitun area of Beijing

Taikoo Li Sanlitun, formerly Sanlitun Village, is a shopping center in the Sanlitun area of the Chaoyang District in Beijing, China. It comprises 19 buildings on two sites that are a few minutes walk from each other. Besides retail space, the project includes a 99-room boutique hotel, The Opposite House (瑜舍).

Zhang Ke is a Chinese architect. Zhang Ke is a graduate of Tsinghua University in Beijing and the Harvard Graduate School of Design at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. In 2001, he founded his studio ZAO/standardarchitecture (标准营造).

Galaxy SOHO Galaxy SOHO is an advancement of township in china

Galaxy SOHO is an urban complex building located in Beijing, China. Built between 2008 and 2014, it is the first of two buildings designed by Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid located in Beijing, along with Wangjing SOHO.

Baitur Rauf Mosque

The Bait Ur Rouf Mosque is a distinctive urban mosque located in an economically-challenged area of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Designed by Bangladeshi architect Marina Tabassum and completed in 2012, it has been called a refuge of spirituality in urban Dhaka and received recognition for its beautiful use of natural light and for challenging the status quo of traditional mosque design. Instead of traditional symbolism such as domes and minarets, the mosque relies on open space and the rich interplay of light and shadow to create a prayer space that elevates the spirit.

References

  1. ↑ "Special places with purpose". The National. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
  2. 1 2 "Beijing children's centre among winners of Aga Khan architecture award for Muslim-friendly design". South China Morning Post. 2016-10-04. Retrieved 2019-12-23.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 The Aga Khan Award for Architecture: PHOTOS , retrieved 2019-12-11
  4. ↑ "ZAO/standardarchitecture, Wang Ziling · 15th Venice Architecture Biennale. Micro Hutong Renewal". Divisare. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Mullin, Kyle (2016-10-16). "Innovation in the Hutongs: CNN Calls Beijing Architect a "Game Changer" for His Courtyard Designs". www.thebeijinger.com. Retrieved 2019-12-23.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Hutong Children's Library & Art Centre | Aga Khan Development Network". www.akdn.org. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
  7. 1 2 3 "Beijing children's centre among winners of Aga Khan architecture award for Muslim-friendly design". South China Morning Post. 2016-10-04. Retrieved 2019-12-25.
  8. 1 2 The Aga Khan Award for Architecture: PHOTOS , retrieved 2019-12-25
  9. 1 2 "Beijing children's centre among winners of Aga Khan architecture award for Muslim-friendly design". South China Morning Post. 2016-10-04. Retrieved 2019-12-11.
  10. ↑ "Archnet". Archnet. Retrieved 2019-12-25.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "Archnet". Archnet. Retrieved 2019-12-23.
  12. 1 2 Muiruri, Peter. "'Green' buildings top awards". The Standard. Retrieved 2019-12-23.
  13. ↑ Independent, The (2016-11-07). "Six projects awarded Aga Khan architecture prize". The Independent Uganda. Retrieved 2019-12-11.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.