Longmenshan Biodiveristy Master Plan.

Competition Organiser: Municipality of Gonglai

Description

Category: Competition Entry | Master Plan

By the Biarno River at the foot of Longmen Mountain, the ecological and cultural genes leave a strong imprint. It is where the soul of the mountains, rivers, forests and fields combine. As a corridor for the Silk Road, it links East and West and conveys history and wisdom.

Based on ecological conservation and from the dynamic perspective of community succession, our design advocated minimum intervention to restore the natural ecological background. The Biodiversity Museum and the left bank of South Silk Road are the drivers and key elements of the design. The design intent was to create a sustainable development and use technology and tourism to shift the site from an ecological resource to an ecological asset where people can enjoy a panoramic experience of the Silk Road.

Because DNA determines biodiversity, we assimilated the DNA helix structure into our design for the architecture and landscaping of the Qionglai Longmen Mountain Biodiversity Museum. The nature of the weaving helical structure created a series of spaces that seek to blend the boundaries between internal and external spaces, providing visitors with an authentic experience where the galleries and surrounding natural landscape are woven together to form the exhibit. The design recognises the interconnectedness and complexities of nature and biological ecosystems and reflects this through the applied design of the principles of permeability, transparency and connectivity, as demonstrated in the interconnecting floors and atriums and use of high-performance glazing.

The Museum site consists of four key zones ¨C central administration, visitor centre, science and research centre and the main exhibit spaces in the northern and southern wings. Woven in and around each zone are carefully curated landscapes which have been sculpted from the site¡¯s natural contours and topography to embody and reflect the diversity of natural habitats in the surrounding regions. The building has been designed to emerge from the landscape, rather than being carved out of it with the curved roof structure responding to geographical features of the site and reflecting mountains, hills and river.