URUMQI NEW ENERGY MUSEUM

The site is in a quiet area outside of Urumqi city, and with minimal direct traffic. The architecture needs to make a welcoming gesture to both directions of traffic flow. As the Xinjiang climate is quite harsh with cold & humid winters with dry & hot summers, the focus of the pavilion will be on indoor activity.

In line with the Chinese history and culture, the local housing type of Xinjiang is based on the courtyard typology. The building massing is simple and solid as if it was coming from the ground. The wide and sinuous entrance of the building draws the visitors in, as they embark on the journey through the pavilion. The entrance canopy also provides shades and shelter from the elements.

The main exhibition rooms are placed around the central courtyard and create a loop circulation that easily guides the visitors through the exhibition. Where the interior space requires additional daylight, extra courtyard are added accordingly.

While Xinjiang New Energy specializes in high-tech active sustainable technologies, the concept for this design is to use passive systems. The materials used in the design are locally sourced reflect the traditional buildings of Xinjiang Province. A high thermal mass lowers the cooling and heating peaks allowing a significant reduction of electricity use for cooling and heating. Due to a gradual and more natural indoor temperature control, also the indoor comfort greatly benefits from the use of a high thermal mass.

To reduce the indoor cooling load and create a comfortable interior atmosphere, the entire exterior envelope works as a sun shading barrier to protect the exhibition rooms from direct sunlight. Through the use of different brick patterns a balanced amount of daylight and heat enter the building.

There are 3 different types of facades that vary according to the interior functional: type A is for the the areas adjacent to a courtyard; type B is a double skin facade correspondent to rooms that need natural daylight; type C is a standard brick wall incorporating bricks in relief that create wavy patterns inspired by the whirlwind blowing through the valley.