China – Located in the countryside in China’s Zhejiang Province, the Qingxi Culture and History Museum is a newly opened cultural space designed to draw visitors closer to nature, history and culture.
Local architecture studio UAD was commissioned by the Ninghai Cultural Tourism Group to design this new cultural landmark in a pristine rural area. Architects took inspiration from the picturesque location amid hills and forests, and drew on biomimicry to harmoniously blend the museum with its surroundings using a mix of natural raw materials, volumes and shapes mimicking nature, and local craftsmanship.
‘Based on simple techniques and methods, the whole building is in harmony with its surrounding terraced fields and mountains, both in texture and in form. The architectural volumes dissolve into the environment,’ according to a statement from the architects.
The Qingxi museum suggests that biomimicry is entering cultural institutions, just as we have seen it developing in the hospitality sector. In addition, this is a noteworthy example of a remote cultural institution serving as a stand-alone travel destination.
Strategic opportunity
Just as businesses are beginning to acknowledge nature as a stakeholder, forward-thinking designers are placing it front and centre, creating with and for nature rather than on top of it