The Anren Culture Center for Sect of Great Craftsman, designed by Atelier Li Xinggang, stands as a remarkable example of contemporary architectural design that honors traditional Chinese building practices. Located in the historic Anren Ancient Town in Chengdu, this 7,682 square meter cultural facility was completed in 2022 and serves as a testament to the careful integration of modern functionality with traditional architectural elements.
The project is strategically positioned in the core area of Anren Ancient Town, where it serves as a crucial link between various historical and cultural landmarks. The building connects the Shuren Ancient Street to the north, the Liushi Manorial and Jianchuan Museum to the east, and the Sheraton Hotel to the south. This location places the culture center at the heart of public life in the ancient town, making it a vital component of the area's cultural infrastructure.
One of the most significant challenges faced by the architects was addressing the complex urban context of Anren Ancient Town. The area is characterized by buildings from different eras, styles, and scales that have layered together over time, creating a townscape that is both diverse and starkly contradictory. The site is traversed by main roads and features a sharp division between East-meets-West eclectic architecture and modern buildings erected during rapid urbanization periods.
The architectural design responds to this complexity through a contemporary interpretation of the unique local mansion typology found in Anren. The building forms courtyards of various sizes with clusters of pitched roofs, drawing inspiration from traditional Chinese residential architecture. Starting from the ancestral house of Chen Yuesheng and rising step by step from west to east, the freely arranged pitched roofs create a richly varied tapestry of courtyards that blend seamlessly with the surrounding historic fabric.
A distinctive feature of the design is the walkway system built on the pitched roofs of the building. This innovative element serves a dual purpose: providing maintenance access and offering visitors a unique public promenade experience. Through the roof walkway, visitors can wander up and down along the ridges and gutters of the roofs, creating an experience akin to walking among mountain peaks. This design element establishes a visual and experiential connection between the architecture, the ancient town, and the distant Xiling Snow Mountain.
The architectural language of the building draws heavily from the diverse and distinctive archways found in traditional Anren mansions, which represent a concentrated manifestation of their eclectic architectural style. Taking these historical archways as reference points, the design team created a series of concrete arches of varying scales and forms. These arches are based on a 66-meter modular grid system that not only adapts to internal functional spaces but also shapes both indoor and outdoor spatial experiences while providing structural support for clerestory windows and the roof walkway system.
The structural approach reflects a thoughtful blend of traditional and contemporary building techniques. To echo the brick-and-timber hybrid structure characteristic of Anren's historic mansions, the design places a timber roof frame atop concrete arches. Steel pipes and tension rods are strategically used between the arches to maintain planar stability, creating a structural system that establishes close correspondence with the pitched-roof clusters while continuing the mansion's eclectic architectural style in a contemporary context.
The project team included Principal Architect Li Xinggang and Liu Zhen, with Tan Zeyang serving as Project Manager and Chen Yimin as Site Architect. The comprehensive design approach encompassed architectural, interior, and landscape design, led by Chen Yimin, Guo Wenjia, Wang Han, and Sun Zhixing. Specialized consultants were brought in for various aspects of the project, including lighting design by Zhang Xin Studio, architectural acoustics by the Acoustics & Stage Technology Studio, and green building consulting to ensure sustainable design practices.
The Anren Culture Center for Sect of Great Craftsman represents more than just a cultural facility; it serves as a bridge between past and present, demonstrating how contemporary architecture can respectfully engage with historic contexts while meeting modern functional requirements. The project successfully repairs the fragmented urban texture of the area and reshapes the harmonious characteristics of the ancient town's core space, establishing it as a significant contribution to both cultural preservation and architectural innovation in contemporary China.
