The History of the Neighborhood:
General Xie was an army officer who lived in the immediate site when the Song Dynasty collapsed and was succeeded by the Yuan Dynasty. Due to his unyielding loyalty to the Song emperor, General Xie openly defied the succession. Eventually he was imprisoned, but Xie’s fight was far from over. Even in prison, he refused to show any cooperation and as a final demonstration, he went on a hunger strike. He eventually succumbed to hunger and died of starvation for his beliefs. The Xiegong Memorial honors his legacy.
In redeveloping the hutong, we wanted to create a project that was mentally stimulating. General Xie embarked on a path that he thought was right; it was a path he chose to cultivate self-worth and self-respect by adherence to loyalty and his beliefs. The network of paths in the new neighborhood will not only be a way for individuals to understand the struggle General Xie endured during his period of resistance, but it will also allow residents and visitors to choose their paths on a daily basis. The progression through these paths leads to moments of reflection and contemplation. By providing alternative venues, we encourage the users to make decisions when traveling to The Archive, thus making their experience personal and engaging. Arrival at the Archive signifies a cultivation of self-worth through personal decision-making and knowledge acquired from the books and artifacts at the Archive and the experience gathered along the journey.
One of Many Paths to the Archive
Atrium of the Archive: To Climb or Not to Climb?
Atrium of the Archive: To Climb or Not to Climb?
Design Process:
In relation to the first project, we preserved three elements and expressed them in our final design of the Archive. First, we focused on human scale and maintained the relationship between human and built form. In the Archive, a second story is added and the courtyard is eliminated. Due to the loss of green space and social health that is associated with parks, we implemented a rooftop garden system on top of residential homes. Additionally, the Archive is only three stories, hence the neighborhood remains accessible and inviting to a passerby. Next, the elevated pieces in the foam model indicated an opportunity to relieve overcrowding by installing a second story. Also, we aimed to recreate a memorial-like structure similar to a theater. Thus, the Archive is architecturally monumental and taller than the residential structures.
Lastly, we preserved the majority of the original floorplan to express the fundamental structure of traditional Chinese construction. We believed that the original floorplan was essential to the vitality of the neighborhood. By retaining the walkways and paths, the natural layout encourages exploration and gives visitors an opportunity to explore the neighborhood.
Driving Themes:
- Preservation of Humankind, History and Culture, and Human Scale
- Reflection of the Self
- Transformation of the Individual
These three themes were devised to serve as a basis for the overall intent of the project. Every phase has if not all at least one of these themes incorporated within the message that is being conveyed.
The Archive: The New Xiegong Memorial
- The Archive contains artifacts, cultivating respect for relics of humankind
- It retains pieces of the original memorial to honor the history of the neighborhood
Preserving Community Through Communal Spaces
- The quality of the outdoor life is preserved by the addition of a second layer housing green rooftops and areas of communal gathering and reflection.
Rooftop Bridges: Networks that Provoke Reflection
- The bridges and connectors transform the hutong into a multi-dimensional space
- The different vantage points create different ways of understanding and represent the 'crossroads' in one's life
- Private gardens are created in order to facilitate self reflection
- Incorporation of opaque glass encapsulates private gardens allowing privacy and contemplation
- Etchings of the old hutong on opaque glass are created to allow people to glance into the past while in the present which perpetuates further self contemplation
Private Reading Rooms Designed for Self-reflection
- These private spaces within the archive provide an environment conducive for self contemplation.
- They serve as an opportunity for the individual to take full advantage of such an experience to focus and better his or herself.
Detail of the Shelving System within the Archive which Holds Relics, Books, etc.
