Ao’jiang Community Cultural Center

Location: Wenzhou, China

Completion Date: 2021

Building Area: 5,604sqm

Design Principal: Ping Jiang, FAIA

Design Team: Michelle Bao, Sean Lu, Xiaohai Lin

Client: Wenzhou Ao Mao Construction Development Co., Ltd.

Ao’jiang international new town is a booming new area in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province. Within this area stands Ao’jiang Community Cultural Center (ACCC), as an important cultural infrastructure which aims to meet the diverse needs of a range of community activities. Its spatially flexible interior provides ample space for an Intangible Cultural Heritage Lab, community center, and education center. The ACCC values the city’s cultural and natural assets and serves as a catalyst for the vibrant neighborhood. It embodies the ethos of Aojiang by combining contemporary design with cultural attributes.

Ao’jiang is surrounding by gentle hills and it is popular for its century-old banyan trees. The subtle slope connecting the ACCC and surrounding plots brings architecture and landscape together in a sculptural, artwork born from the natural environment. Simultaneously, the porous cavity interior echoes the nature of banyan trees, characterized by many strong trunks, which brings a unique spatial experience.

Ao’jiang city is also known for its intangible cultural heritage such as dragon dance, calligraphy, paper cutting, and Chinese lantern, etc. In order to establish bonds with local culture, the cultural museum is divided into three functional parts: Intangible Cultural Heritage Lab - introducing VR interactive technology; Community Center - providing activity space for the elderly; and Education Center - offering intangible cultural heritage courses such as calligraphy and lantern making. The upper, middle and lower floors are organized to meet the needs of the program respectively.

The ground floor is designed for elderly activities and the second floor is the Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition Center. The third floor is the education center which houses several classrooms. Each classroom is arranged around the circular core with sufficient day light and views. The roof of ACCC has a gentle slope, echoing the neighboring hills. A gentle slope at ground level leads to the main entrance to provide pedestrian access to the second floor. The circular core organically integrates with the ceiling and floor, just like the Centennial giant banyan standing on the top of the hill, supporting the superstructure. This movement maximizes openness of the interior, creating a unique exhibition space for the facility.

The senior service lower level is carefully considered. It is covered by gentle slopes and faces the quiet currents of the river, avoiding noise of a major traffic crossing nearby. The overhead intangible cultural heritage exhibition area is enclosed with high-transparent glass, revealing a welcoming, soft space inside reminiscent of the ancient banyan tree trunk.  The metal skin texture of the education center is inspired by local paper-cut patterns, which controls the amount of interior light. ACCC echoes the local landscape and cultural elements, providing a unique response to the complex functional requirements.