Corporate Cave

2024 Author: David Durham | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-09 00:52

The Yingliang Company in Shuitou (Nan'an County) in southeastern China, while mining a stone in a crystalline rock base, discovered a significant number of different fossils there, which it decided to show in its own museum.

The site was chosen for the headquarters of the company, while retaining its main function. For this reason, Atelier Alter architects had to not only fit the exhibition areas into the existing building, but also coordinate the new public program with the existing private - corporate one.

Естественно-исторический музей камня компании Yingliang © Atelier Alter

The museum occupied the space of a glazed atrium, so another challenge was to preserve natural light both there and in the office spaces - which was not generous from the beginning.

Image

zooming

1/5 Yingliang Natural History Stone Museum © Atelier Alter
zooming

2/5 Yingliang Natural History Stone Museum © Atelier Alter
zooming

3/5 Yingliang Natural History Stone Museum © Atelier Alter
zooming

4/5 Yingliang Natural History Stone Museum © Atelier Alter
zooming

5/5 Yingliang Natural History Stone Museum © Atelier Alter

The project is the introduction of pyramidal and crystalline forms into a rectangular coordinate system, which corresponded to the building. The main pyramid is inverted: it is a well through which light enters the second floor - into the atrium of the museum, and its outer surfaces reflect the sun's rays into the offices, penetrating through the glazing that is not occupied by the base of the pyramid. Horizontally directed crystals form showrooms, while vertical crystals help direct light deeper into the interior.

The architects wanted to create the impression of a cool cave in order to enhance the impact of the exhibits, to give them an even greater sense of antiquity.