Junya Ishigami talks about the bridge between nature and architecture in China
designboom talks to Japanese people architect Junya Ishigami’s latest project, the Rizhao Zaishui Art Museum, addresses one of China’s most interesting phenomena. When faced with the Chinese landscape, its vast and limitless structures can pose difficult architectural challenges. Ishigami argues that it is definitely difficult to compete with such a vast environment. Considering these circumstances, Ishigami completed the project. museum As a long structure, it is of the same scale as the artificial lake that floats above it. Stretching nearly a kilometer from end to end, it evokes wind streaks across the water. ‘I wanted to present the building as a new landscape, embedding it in the Chinese environment and creating an experience of walking through a lake, similar to walking along the shore where you can feel the essence of water.,” Architect talks about design boom.
From small houses to grand structures, Chinese architecture often appears defensive, with an air of resignation, as if isolated from its context. To achieve this impression both in the city and in remote areas, it is necessary to create a pleasant presence where architecture and the natural world coexist peacefully, blurring the boundaries. Junya Ishigami discusses his vision and ambitious design for the Zaisui Art Museum, presented as a new landscape experience on the water. 
All images © Arch-Exist Photography (unless otherwise noted)
Water Art Museum, a new landscape experience on the water
Junya Ishigami’s Zaishui Art Museum, located in the emerging development zone of Rizhao City, Shandong Province (see more) here), in collaboration with the visitor and shopping center, has a flexible exhibition space, currently displaying chocolate and related art pieces. As the architect explained in our talk, people will have to pass through a 20,000 square meter building to get to the new development. ”While enjoying the scenery of the existing site, the artwork, and the food on display.”. What connects these elements is the transparent horizontal surface of the lake depicted inside the building, and the floor, which is inspired by a new world, stretches out and gives the impression of skating on the water.
Like a gust of wind, the building stretches almost endlessly and floats above the water.
Along the façade, rows of columns that seem to grow out of a lake support a sculptural, sash-like roof. The columns, repeated at regular intervals, define the new surface of the water and the boundaries of the new ground on which its edges walk. A new “outside” is born within the museum amidst ambiguous boundaries. It is a new natural space that peacefully coexists with the interior of the building and its visitors. Ishigami will secure openable glass between the pillars of the Zaisui Art Museum. If the weather is nice enough, the glazed panels open in certain sections, allowing a gentle breeze to penetrate the space. On the other hand, the underwater glass part has gaps that allow water to naturally flow inside. Walking inside, visitors discover a vast exhibition space, which slowly transforms into a narrow strip and is surrounded by a vast expanse of water.
The Museum of Art in Japan reminds us of the lines of the wind caressing the surface of the water.
On warm days, the opening opens and the ripples from the lake flow rhythmically into the museum. When the lake freezes in the winter, the liquid beneath the ice flows into the glass through the cracks at the bottom and collects there until spring. Nevertheless ‘wWater quality differs between intertime and summertime.The architect’s design ensures stability and safety all year round. ‘The water is controlled by gates and kept at the same water level regardless of the season. It also ensured that the structure would not succumb to the pressure of winter ice. ” Ishigami will explain in detail during the talk.
Rows of columns arranged rhythmically in front of the facade
Create a canvas that reflects your changing environment
Beyond its water-infused design, the Zaisui Art Museum acts as a monochrome canvas, absorbing, emphasizing, and reflecting the hues and textures of its surrounding nature and lakes over time. In summer, the building emphasizes mountain green tones, and in winter, brownish colors take over,” Ishigami memo. To create such an effect, the museum must embody a subtle palette of materials and colors, achieving a grayscale composition of concrete and stone that is free of all excess. This simple backdrop takes on a more dynamic shape along with the roofscape. In some places, the ceilings are high and open wide to the sky, allowing plenty of light to blend in with the surrounding scenery. The same ceiling is now even lower, almost crawling over the water’s surface, and the sun’s reflections are caught sporadically across the roof, bathing visitors in a soft light.
With a subtle smile, the architect told us a few more notable features of the canvas effect.When foggy mornings come, the fog tends to cover the museum and disappear quietly. On the other hand, on a rainy day, water droplets splash on the lake, causing ripples that physically echo on the water surface and visually echo across the monochrome background.‘
Blur the lines using the water surface as a mirror element
Junya Ishigami’s Dream Museum
At the end of the interview, Junya Ishigami reiterated that the key to addressing China’s landscape issues is to view architecture as a “gentle giant” and explore new relationships between nature and man-made. This quest came with its own set of challenges.The most difficult part was building the kilometer-long structure itself.We had to take into account wind and temperature and of course being on the water,” architect approves. Despite these difficulties, Ishigami’s dream is clear. To continue weaving new architectural typologies wherever our next project takes us. It is a typology that reimagines architecture as a novel landscape and forges a calm and peaceful union with the natural world.