Architects: Office Canopy of Architecture
Area: 1500 m²
Year: 2022
Photography: Guodong Zheng
Lead Architects: Tianxin Xu, Wei Li
Design Team: Yiru Xu, Zhang Zhang, Chunchun Wu, Maowei Guan, Binnan Xie, Xiaofen Yang, Jiaqi Zhou
Art Director: Tian Liu
Project Management: Shengzhao Li, Fanrui Wu
Team (Branding): Xinyuan Zhang, Liangyong Li, Xiaoyun Luo, Ziyuan Chen, Tianning Xue, Jianzhi Tang
Branding: Open Matter Institute
Clients: Dexin Group of Industry, Business and Culture
City: Hangzhou
Country: China
Xiangshan Art Commune, a cultural project designed by Office Canopy of Architecture in the Xihu District of Hangzhou, has transformed four factory-style buildings into contemporary art exhibition halls and an art merchandise store. Completed in 2022, the renovation involved architectural facade updates, landscaping, and interior transformations, creating a dynamic cultural hub. This project, led by Tianxin Xu and Wei Li, aims to integrate the museum’s brand identity with spatial design, using elements like curved grilles and mirrored capsules to evoke a warehouse theme.
The project, located in the Xiangshan Art Commune in the Xihu District of Hangzhou, had been awaiting commercial development for years. The Dexing Group now oversees the construction and operation of the art spaces. The project renovates architectural facades, landscaping, and interiors of four factory-style buildings. These buildings are transformed into contemporary art exhibition halls, with the ground floor converted into an art merchandise store.
In collaboration with the Open Matter Institute, the spatial design team developed a branding strategy for the museum. They created a spatial translation strategy incorporating the museum’s positioning and brand symbols. This included designing spatial elements, narrative logic, exhibition circulation, and improving logistical transport flow. To balance brand requirements and exhibition hall flexibility, the design extended the “warehouse” theme into a fluid, multi-layered material with floating capsules and a sci-fi atmosphere.
Curved grilles and silver foil arches abstractly represent the “warehouse” concept in the exhibition hall’s interior design. A large mirrored capsule art installation above the store’s ceiling creates a distinctive and ever-changing spatial experience. The entrance to the exhibition hall and the store’s counter use a special metal rusting technique, enhancing their multi-meaning qualities.
Throughout the design process, the architects communicated with the previous design team to align the spatial strategy and its implementation. The museum has hosted numerous art exhibitions, forum salons, cultural and creative markets, and creative activities, serving as the “cultural engine” of the Xiangshan Art Commune. It also provides cultural energy to local schools and the artistic industries in Hangzhou.
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Project Location
Address: Zhuantang Street, Xihu District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang, China.
Location is for general reference and may represent a city or country, not necessarily a precise address.
