Tianfu Museum of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Being the northern transportation hub of Chengdu, Pengzhou possesses abundant resources of medicinal herbs. In response to the national strategy of revitalizing traditional Chinese medicine, Tianfu city of Chinese Medicine was officially established based on the Pengzhou Industrial Park in 2019. MUDA-Architects was commissioned to design the Tianfu Museum of Chinese Medicine for Pengzhou City on March 2020.
MUDA-Architects draws inspiration from traditional Chinese medicine philosophy, starting from the concept of "wholeness and dialectics," and impregnated the concept of Yin-Yang theory to bring forth the design into a void-solid combination of spaces generated by the conceived architecture and landscape. The scheme captures the essence of Chinese medicine and harmoniously incorporates its underlying, antiquated philosophy into the design of architecture, landscape, and nature from a large-scale perspective, as well as material design, interior spaces, and human from a micro level.
The museum's main entrance is situated on the west, and a landscaped plaza connects it to the major city street. Curved perforated aluminum panels on the entrance's west façade enhance the urban cityscape and shield the western sun to lower energy consumption. The east façade of the building, which faces the lake, has a double-curved glass curtain wall that breaks the boundaries between architecture and landscape. The structure is 22.4 meters at its highest point, consisting of three stories above ground and one underground level. The majority of the public areas, including the entrance hall, lecture hall, interactive exhibition area, coffee, and catering area, are located on the ground floor. The primary display area, which is organized into TCM exhibitions, science and technology exhibitions, and Chinese medicine workshops, is set on the second and third floors. Parking area and utilities are on the underground floor. Additionally, the underground area combines with the exterior sunken plaza to provide interactive and commercial spaces, offering a flexible range of recreational activities to the public.
The entrance of the building features a three-story high atrium. The multi-level curved platforms enrich the interior space and provide various possibilities for future exhibitions. Skylights and transparent glass curtain walls bring sunlight and ecological views indoors, allowing visitors to interact with nature from different perspectives on each level. The interior space continues the architectural design concept, extending the sinuous curves of the overall form inside. The elements of the space are organically intertwined, blending the real with the abstract, creating a harmonious and dynamic environment.
