Palace Museum, Southern Branch-2004 Int'l Competition_Cultural_Projects | KRIS YAO｜ARTECH

Our entry for the competition aims to convey a vision of a modern Asian museum, through a unique design fused with Chinese cultural characteristics.

The metaphor is a piece of ancient jade, found in the split second as it is half-revealed and half hidden. The Chinese word for hidden, “Tsang”, is ripe with multiple meanings of: to collect, to hide, to conceal, and to treasure; all of them speak of transcending the superficial and looking deeply within. This concept is transformed into architecture of introspective spaces and modest forms. Furthermore, the notion of “ksana” (the fleeting moment), adapted from India to China, embodying the moment of power and mystery, just as when the jade is found, is precisely what the museum strives to present.

The architectural design begins with an artificially created hill, with a lake 160 meters in diameter carved out from the center of the hill. Around the lake sits a circular building that is half-concealed by the hill. Upon entering the museum, the visitor is greeted with a diverse range of exhibition spaces. Some of the spaces are located by the lake, facing the island outside; some lead into passages or into open spaces.