Aa case-study-final-paper

Asian Architecture (ARC60403)
Project Part B Case Study Paper
Ningbo’s History Museum In Relation to Cultural
Aspects And Influence Of The Site:
Approaches To Achieve Preservation of Ningbo’s
Heritage
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Chan!Jia!Xin!! ! ! 0319565!
Evelyn!Lai!Kah!Ying!!! 0322732!
Lee!Hui!Qin!! ! ! 0322991!
Leong!Yu!Shi!! ! ! 0322586!
Saw!Hwei!Ying!! ! 0318093!
Wong!Kai!Chiang!! ! 0323341!
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Tutor:!Mr.!Koh!Jing!Hao!
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Tables of Contents
Abstract 1
1.0! Introduction 2-3
2.0! Overview of Ningbo’s History Museum 4-5
3.0! History of Ningbo and Its Influences 6-7
4.0! Design Concept of Ningbo’ History Museum 8-12
5.0! Material Selection and Construction Technique 13-16
6.0! Impact of The Museum Towards The Preservation 17
7.0! Conclusion 18
8.0! Reference 19-20
9.0! Turnitin plagiarism report 21

Ningbo’s History Museum in Relation to Cultural Aspects and Influence of the Site: Approaches To
Achieve Preservation of Ningbo’s Heritage
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Chan Jia Xin 0319565 | Evelyn Lai Kah Ying 0322732 | Lee Hui Qin 0322991| Leong Yu Shi 0322586
Saw Hwei Ying 0318093| Wong Kai Chiang 0323341| Asian Architecture (ARC60403)
1!
Abstract
The purpose of this research is to study the conflict between the rapid urbanization and the
preservation of Ningbo’s cultural heritage and the approaches to comprehend the site identity
and preserving the culture in Ningbo, China through the architectural design of Ningbo’s
History Museum. With the rise of contemporary design, various type of materials from
different era and construction technique have been identified to overcome the conflict
between modernity and traditions. The history and arts of Ningbo is studied to further analyze
on the relationship between the site identity and the design of Ningbo’s History Museum.
Besides, the impact of the building towards the preservation of Ningbo’s heritage is also
covered. Data analysis on the site identity through the histories and arts in Ningbo have been
carried out to support the idea of the architect. Besides, researches on the construction
technique and materials used in the building were conducted to enhance the process. In order
to support the validity of this design, Five Scattered Houses in Ningbo too is used as case
study on the materials selection and construction technique that could capture the memories
of the local. Other than that, the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou also a building that
preserved China’s culture using its form. The preservation of Ningbo’s heritage has been
enhanced by the geological form of building that derived from local mountains and Chinese
landscape painting (ShanShui). Besides, the use of local construction techniques, wapan and
the harmonious juxtaposition between modern and tradition materials also help to root the
memories deeply in its context. In a nutshell, the design of the building is able to evokes the
feeling of reminiscence of a space and emphasis the importance of the culture and value of
Ningbo which can be preserved for a decade.

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1.0 Introduction
Nowadays, most urbanism architectures are creating modern culture and yet forget to
remain the history and the cultural traditions in the places. This report is about preserving
culture and comprehending the site identity, it is a very important part so that it would not be
forgotten forever in a new era. People are starting to consider using materials and
construction method to design and build a building to prevent forgetting the specific cultures
and traditions of the places. Ningbo is a place located in Zhejiang, China which is one of the
oldest city in China, it is now a modern city with deep cultural foundation. And to brings
back the cultures that had been forgot, Ningbo’s History Museum came up with a very
different architecture using the materials and construction technique to preserve the culture of
Ningbo.
Other than Ningbo, China Academy of Art designed by Kengo Kuma located in
Hangzhou, China was designed to committed the preserving, revitalizing and regenerating the
China’s arts and crafts, so that it would not be forgotten by the new era. China Academy of
Art used the appearance of small villages with their very own pitched tiles roof as the design
concept to show the traditional small villages in China. Even this is a very different method
with Ningbo’s History Museum but it has the same achievement.

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This paper will investigate on the Ningbo’s History Museum in relation to cultural aspects
and influence of the site by responding the following questions:
1)! What is the cultural context of Ningbo’s History Museum’s design?
2)! How does Ningbo’s site identity affect Ningbo’s History Museum’s design?
3)! How does the materials used help to achieve the preservation of heritage of Ningbo?
4)! How does the construction techniques, Wapan assists in the preservation of Ningbo’s
heritage?
5)! How does the art and history influence the form of Ningbo’s History Museum?
6)! What is the impact of Ningbo’s History Museum towards the preservation of
Ningbo’s heritage?

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2.0 An Overview of Ningbo’s History Museum
Wang Shu, the architect of Ningbo’s History Museum became widely known after receiving
the 2012 Pritzker Prize. Ningbo’s History Museum is one of the signature projects of the award
winning architect. It sits on Yinzhou central plaza, a district of Ningbo city. The architect’s concept is
to design with nature which a kind of geological will is adopted in the design. The inspiration is
drawn from the traditional Chinese landscape painting, Shan Shui (Figure 1) which the form of the
building is an imitation of mountains (Figure 2). Ningbo’s History Museum is a symbol of
contradiction in the architecture of the Ningbo Central Business District as it is surrounded by a series
of tall new buildings. The height of the Ningbo’s History Museum is controlled to be 24m to have a
contrast and dialogue with the skyscrapers around. The form of the building is a metaphor of
mountain where the lower levels surface is a rectangular shape but starts having cracks when it grows
upwards. The free-formed cracks of the building are to resemble the method used by the painters to
portray the mountains in traditional Chinese landscape paintings.
Besides, the architect creates a sense of landscaping through the materials selection. Wang
Shu tried to create a symbolic mountain which made of rubble materials to keep the memories of the
people who lived in that area. He combined the tiles collected from destruction sites with traditional
building technique, Wapan to maintain the Chinese architecture tradition and enhance the idea of
keeping memories simultaneously. Wapan is a local traditional building technique which packed
multiple elements with difference sizes to create a stable structure within a short period after
demolished by typhoon. The facade of Ningbo’s History Museum is made of tiles collected from the
demolished village and concrete. Two different materials which symbolize different era to depict the
idea of keeping memories while heading forward (Figure 3). Wang Shu incorporated bamboo texture

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on the facade of the concrete to minimise the rigidity of the modern material. Bamboo mould is used
to cast the concrete as it occupies a special meaning in Jiangnan culture.
Figure 1: Traditional Chinese Landscape Painting, Shan Shui
(Lava 360, 2011)
Figure 3: Ningbo’s History Museum façade(Amateur
Architect Studio, n.d)
Figure 2 Back Façade (Guillaume, C.,2012)

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3.0 The History of Ningbo
The History of Ningbo
The existence of ship building in Ningbo area began about 7,000 years ago, in the
Neolithic Age. As recorded in history, it’s once called Maoxian country, meaning a trade
country. In the Tang Dynasty, Ningbo was one of the China’s 3 major ports, and is once, one
of the biggest 3 cities in China. The importance of Ningbo enhanced more when the capital
city was moved to Hangzhou during the South Song Dynasty. (ningbo.china, 2009)
The glorious era of Ningbo continues until the Yuan and Ming dynasties, when the
central government issued an order prohibiting any foreign business in Ningbo because of the
Japanese who had invaded the town. Then, right in year 1842, Ningbo became one of the 5
ports opened to the British under Treaty of Nanjing to end the first Opium War. Hence, the
port of Ningbo is opened once again. (ningbo.china, 2009)
As soon as China opened its doors to the free market in the 1980s, Ningbo is revived
and the government immediately began pouring investments into the city. (Liu, 2005) As for
now, Ningbo consists of 6 districts, which includes Yinzhou, where the museum is situated,
and covers an area of 9,671.49 square kilometers. Over these years, Ningbo has been the most
developed city in Zhejiang province. Also, it is also an important part of Shanghai International
Shipping Hub Port and has opened up sea routes with more than 600 ports in 100 countries.
(chinatouronline.com, n.d.)
Ningbo is a very historic and cultural city, which is mainly influenced by the trading in
Ningbo over a thousands of years. Although it’s once fallen, the city still rose again and become
one of the most important ports in China. The fast growing of Ningbo in year 1980 and

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afterwards creates urbanization, in which the old villages, which holds the historic value of the
city, were been razed to build new and edgy high rise buildings. (Ningbo.china, 2010)
Figure 4: Map of Ningbo and other major
cities (Ningbo gov, 2009) !
Figure 5: Map of districts in Ningbo
(Ningbo gov, 2009)
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4.0 Design Concept of Ningbo’ History Museum
Design Concept - Preservation of Ningbo’s Heritage
Figure 6: Site Plan (msa, n.d.)
Ningbo, Zhejiang has existed for 5,000 years. The town contains old and new
architecture as it is not fully urbanized. It is called as the “heart of old city” as visitors could
still experience the culture and tradition in that particular town. It is one of the most
important township whereby it supports the economy of east coast of China as it is a deep
water port city. Due to immense growing population in Ningbo town, the townscape is
undergoing rapid modernization which has affected the town to have no historical
significance. This triggers the architect, Wang Shu to revive the culture and preserve the
heritage by building Ningbo History Museum.

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Figure 7: Neighboring Context of Ningbo History Museum. (Till, W., 2010)
Ningbo History Museum is a 4-storey low rise building with a wide horizontal stretch
which forms a rectangular building. Wang Shu, has a vision that this townscape will, soon, be
a skyscraper city. Hence, he has designed this museum as a low rise building so that it creates
a contrast with the high rise environment which has created a boundary for Ningbo
townscape. It has also created the central focus point where it draws the city’s attention to
Ningbo History Museum as the heart of Ningbo town. This museum is considered as the
historical reference of Ningbo town to create an awareness of cultural conservation as a
prominent cultural landmark.

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Figure 8: Design Development [Leong, 2016]
The form of Ningbo’s History Museum is started from undeveloped impression of
Ningbo. The architect, Wang Shu, has decided to combine the hardness of mountain
landscape, the softness of water and the ocean. Wang Shu started off with a geometry and he
has decided to cut through the building and made the cut through as the entrance. As a nod to
the local mountains, the building has a geological form by integrating the shape of a
mountain into the design by making it asymmetrical and has a shape of inverted mountain.
The idea of “Shan” (Mountain in Mandarin) is further developed where Wang Shu has made
the building in the form of clustered hence the visitors will have a sense of mystery as if they
were walking in the mountains. Softness of the water is incorporated into this building by
looking into the fluidity of circulation. The building also has a shape of a boat which
emphasize on the importance of trading in Ningbo.
Figure 9: Front Elevation (msa, n.d.)

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Figure 10: Ningbo History Museum Facade (Tsao C., 2013)
The facade of Ningbo History Museum has randomized appearance. As the building
form is asymmetrical, visitors will have different view at different point in different angle.
The facade treatment has created a strong contrast with the surrounding buildings as it is fully
handmade that it protrudes the beauty of imperfection whereby the surrounding is technically
perfection which mainly built by machines. The use of materials for facade creates a
connection with the natural surrounding where the local mountain landscape were. It shows a
big difference contextually where all buildings are built using concrete and steel. The
windows on the facade is small and non-symmetrical. It creates a sense of curiosity and
protective where it only allows sun light to pass through and it is not visible from the exterior
to the interior of building.

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Figure 11: Ground Floor Plan (msa, n.d.)
Ningbo History Museum is divided vertically in different angular volume. As a
museum, the main galleries and exhibition halls are located in the center as it is easy to
access. An artificial lake is flowing through a water field of cobblestone as Chinese believe
that water will bring good luck to a person or a place. The entrance of the visitors is a public
route that cuts through ground floor and directs to second floor but the entrance is not
obvious as if you are walking into an enclosed forest in the mountain. Visitors will first
experience the flow of water and the shape of a boat represents the importance of maritime
trade in Ningbo town. The interior circulation is in the form of “labyrinth” as it connects all
the public spaces to accommodate the temporary exhibitions and it provides the flexibility to
the visitors in order to move around the building.

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5.0 Material Selection & Construction Technique
Material Selection
Ningbo’s History Museum portrayed the evolution of Ningbo city from past to present
through the use of modern and local tradition materials. There are 20 different types of
materials are used in the building and most of it are recycled which are the debris from the
damaged village during typhoon accident. The materials varies from different era such as
Terra cotta roof tile, rectangle brick block, horizontal ashlar block while the modern material
used is concrete wall. Wang Shu’s architecture is devoted to tradition, history, a sense of
place, sustainable use of materials, and the people who will inhabit it (Meinhold,B, 2012).
Hence, through the used of recycled debris as part of the materials in this building, it depicts
the memories that left by the village into the contemporary building which allow visitors to
contemplate and appreciate the heritage of Ningbo. Besides, the use of concrete wall with
bamboo pattern-imprinted also evokes the identity of Ningbo as bamboo is widely found in
the city of Ningbo. It also shows how this technique overcome the conflicts between
modernity and traditions.
Figure 12: Combination of modern and tradition materials (Serena G, 2012)
Modern material
(concrete)
Tradition local materials

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Five scattered house, one of the previous works of Wang Shu before he designed
Ningbo’s History Museum is like an experimental work which inspired Wang Shu for his
following design. Same as Ningbo’s History Museum, Five scattered house is also made up of
recycled materials that can be found locally. This interpret the traditional building culture to a
series of modern dwellings where memory is deeper than symbols. Symbol is just about a
concept, but memory is different. It can touch people and also touch very private feelings, very
small things, in time. (Anna Tweeddale, 2012). Hence, Wang Shu get this idea and incorporate
modern materials into local tradition materials in Ningbo’s History Museum to resonate the
contemporary building with place and local’s memory. He repeats this ideas into most of his
works to intensify the sense of appreciation of Ningbo’s history locally and globally.
Five Scattered Houses Ningbo’s History Museum
(Jérémy Rinaldi , 2013) (Iwan Baan , 2013)
Figure 13: Similarity between two works of Wang Shu
Construction Technique
Wapan
In the Ningbo History Museum, around 20 types of bricks, terra cotta tiles and stones
from 15 demolished villages in a region of Ningbo city have been assembled together by
adopting Wapan technique. Wapan is a quick and simple construction method practicing by
Chinese peasants as a response to cope with frequent typhoons, allowing them to rebuild

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quickly with fragments of building debris. Multiple sizes of pieces were assembled together
to create a stable structure. The system is capable of accommodating an apparently unlimited
variety of source material, which is perfectly suited to the mismatched pieces.
In Ningbo History Museum, Wang Shu specified the reuse of variety materials that
left over after dozens of villages demolished by the city government to make way for a new
developed commercial area. The laying and arranging method of dissimilar block is given a
large degree of freedom by Wang Shu. The bulky mass of Ningbo Museum was
complemented by the rich detail of hand laid tiles and the apertures which have various sizes,
placed randomly, to embrace the Wapan approach.
Manual labor as a model
Initially, the biggest challenge was to find craftsmen who could recall how to execute
Wapan construction because only the craftsmen in that area know the method. Wang Shu
used photos from his earlier research to help and teach the craftsmen about the technique.
After dozens of trial and error method and consultation with the architects, over 20 types of
test wall were constructed on site, with the final prototypes creating a facade system from the
masonry and mortar, combined with a concrete liner panel. Due to the low compressive
strength of masonry, Wang Shu introduced a mixed system perfectly by integrated the
Figure 14: Wapan Construction Detail
(Pisessith, K., (2014) Figure 15: Section through the
Wapan masonry facade.
(Elizabeth, G., (2012)

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reinforced concrete beams and ledgers into the panel horizontally in every 3 meters. The
entire facade system is tied back to the main concrete structure and acts as the weather barrier
for the building. This has resulted in distinguished structural performance and climatic
insulation, connecting with Ningbo’s building culture, and also the restoration of a vanished
memories with high quality outcome but at an affordable price.
Wang Shu endeavors to overcome the incompatibility between the requirements of
modern era and tradition techniques without imitating the local historical patterns, but by
filling it with memories and filtering it through manual labor. Although the architects had
prepared CAD drawings for every faces of the building, the handmade nature of the
construction did not allow for exact execution of the architect’s design. The builders were
arranging the recycled material such as tiles and bricks according to their whim. “The
significance of the building lives in the hands of the workers.” (Scavuzzo, G., n.d.)

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6.0 Impact of The Museum Towards The Preservation
The history museum has created a relationship between the site identity of Ningbo
city, the culture and also the human. According to Wang Shu, the multi-material building
cannot be said to be completed as the relationship between nature and the human being will
only be achieved once the walls have been covered with lichens and other vegetation, in other
words, when nature has retaken possession of the substance it has loaned man to make the
construction material. (Scavuzzo, G., n.d.) The empty streets and endangered farmland that
surrounds the museum made Ningbo city a 'no memory area'. There is no tradition there and
the architect designed the Ningbo History Museum to bring back their memory. Wang Shu
told the story of an elderly woman from one of the villages destroyed in the urban renewal
plan who visits the museum every day because she feels at home there, being able to touch
the old bricks from her town. (Scavuzzo, G., n.d.) The museum facades transform waste into
an environment permeated with meaning, serving as a reminder of village destruction while
at the same time presenting a contemporary narration of traditional masonry construction.

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7.0 Conclusion
As a conclusion, the site identity can be classified into history and art aspect which
both have influenced the design of the Ningbo’s History Museum. Wang Shu adopted the
Chinese traditional art, Chinese Landscape Painting (Shan Shui) into the design to create a
sense of place to this architecture. The collected tiles of different era from the demolished
villages as the main building material and the traditional building technique, Wapan help to
achieve the preservation of heritage of Ningbo. Wang Shu successfully adapted the
traditional materials and building technique into the contemporary architecture to preserve
the culture of the site. Ningbo’s History Museum is made up of the spirit and culture of
Ningbo where Wang Shu emphasizes in the importance of regional resources and traditional
workmanship against the prevailing widespread urbanization and homogenous globalization
in China nowadays.

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8.0 Reference
1. ChinatourOnline.com. (n.d.). Ningbo history. Retrieved October 23, 2016, from
http://www.chinatouronline.com/china-travel/ningbo/ningbo-facts/ningbo-history.html
2. Ningbo.China. (2010). Ningbo, China 2008. Retrieved October 23, 2016, from
http://english.ningbo.gov.cn/art/2008/7/17/art_55_307538.html
3. Ningbo.China. (2009). Trade. Retrieved October 23, 2016, from
http://english.ningbo.gov.cn/art/2009/7/22/art_464_84155.html
4. Scavuzzo, G.(n.d.). Wang Shu: Façade As Material and Tactile Stratifications. Screen City
Journal, 38(2), 2-5. Retrieved from
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8
&ved=0ahUKEwjn3NPT6_PPAhUGEpQKHcFEBe0QFggoMAI&url=http%3A%2F%2Fww
w.screencitylab.net%2Fcomponent%2Fattachments%2Fdownload%2F7.html&usg=AFQjCN
HrUA7pQUkhUZ-4B4kUvSFi_W1IQw&sig2=hF9LdtdruXA4pHbvV6mKsg
5. . Traditional Materials Optimized for The Twenty-First Century. ACSA International
Conference (pp.65-71). Barcelona:University of Washington.
6. Chinese History Museum Literally Recycled From History. (n.d.). Retrieved November 5,
2016, from http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-product-design/chinese-history-museum-
literally-recycled-from-history.html
7. Meinhold, B (2012). Wang Shu’s Powerful Ningbo History Museum is Made of Rubble.
(n.d.). Retrieved from http://inhabitat.com/wang-shus-powerful-ningbo-history-museum-is-
built-from-rubble/
8. Yinzhou New Town | 5 scattered houses – My Blog. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.movingcities.org/2010/10/21/yinzhou-5-scattered-houses-oct10/

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9.Hobson, B (2016). Wang Shu on Amateur Architecture Studio’s Ningbo Museum. (n.d.).
Retrieved November 12, 2016, from http://www.dezeen.com/2016/08/18/video-interview-
wang-shu-amateur-architecture-studio-ningbo-history-museum-movie/
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12. cfileonline.org. (n.d). Architecture Wang Shu’s Ningbo Museum. Retrieved October 8,
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13. Han, J, X. (2013). Wang Shu’s Ningbo Museum: A critical view. Retrieved October 8,
2016 from http://www.masterplanningthefuture.org/?p=1229
14. . (2012). . Retrieved October 8, 2016 from
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15. [iCNTV]. (2013, September 24). [ ] (20120827).
[Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Gy1-
bLNXAE&list=WL&index=16
16. [Yang Lan Official Channel]. (2013, Jun 20). 20120622 .
[Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=66F__UzOQd4&index=18&list=WL
17. Saigol, A. (n.d). Opening of the Folk Museum for The China Academy of Art | Kengo
Kuma. arch2o. Retrieved October 22 from http://www.arch2o.com/folk-museum-china-
academy-art-opening-kengo-kuma/
18. Travel China Guide. (n.d). Ningbo Travel Guide. Retrieved October 31 from
https://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/zhejiang/ningbo/

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9.0 Turnitin plagiarism report

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