Majiayao Cultural Industry Park

Five Pottery Worlds Design Concept

Lintao, China

Strategically located between the river and the mountain range, in the City of Lintao, the new Pottery Heritage District will recreate the rich cultural heritage of Majiayao Pottery and in doing so revitalize the cultural, economic and environmental fabric of the entire region.

The rationale for the urban design of the diverse program - Five Pottery Worlds, is to create a layered experience of art and culture, leisure and health, education and recreation. Focused on Five unique 'Discovery Walks', the design orchestrates a sequence of distinct experiences - discovery routes and nature walkways weave together outdoor rooms for education and celebration, art courtyards for creativity and expression, framed views of the earth mountains and sky. Like a story, together this experience will create a narrative - tell an ancient story of the 4500 years of history, woven together with a modern story of artistic creation, education and health benefits. The places will create a rich urban fabric of community celebration and intimate artistic creation, of archeological exploration and natural discovery, of commercial vitality and leisurely recreation.

Inspired by the local geography of the surrounding mountainside, the architectural design is symbolic of the context. Representative of the majestic surrounding mountain range, the stone outcroppings of the mountainside are represented in the architectural building planes. The unique architectural form celebrates the surrounding landforms and clay earth itself, the source of the Majiayao pottery and the site of its discovery. Composed of local stone materials these iconic walls tell a story: A story of their clay origins and the Majiayao Pottery heritage. On a technical level they establish a consistent structural framework for a rational construction program. The Chinese character for the 'mountain pattern' is symbolized and reinforced within the architectural framework.