Located in the ecologically rich Wuyi Mountains region of Fujian Province, the Sunner Museum offers a nuanced interpretation of industrial architecture. Commissioned by Fujian Sunner Holding Co., Ltd., one of China’s leading poultry production companies, the museum is more than just a corporate monument. Instead, it represents a spatial manifesto that blurs the line between built form, landscape, and industrial infrastructure. Designed by Atelier Alter Architects, the project challenges prevailing assumptions about factory-adjacent buildings by proposing a typology that is both literally and metaphorically embedded in the terrain.
Sunner Museum Technical Information
- Architects1-10: Atelier Alter Architects
- Location: Guangze County, Nanping City, Fujian Province, China
- Client: Fujian Sunner Holding Co., Ltd.
- Area: 6,800 m2 | 73,195 Sq. Ft.
- Project Years: 2022-2024
- Photographs: © Highlite Images, © Cyan & Orange Images, © Atelier Alter Architects
When we say we want to set architecture in motion that means we want our architecture to have a continuous, spontaneous, and dynamic dialogue with the time we live in. We want to find permanence in dynamism.
– Atelier Alter Architects
Sunner Museum Photographs
Reimagining Industrial Typologies: Design Intent and Conceptual Framework
At its core, the Sunner Museum responds to a twofold agenda: the need to celebrate decades of agricultural innovation and the desire to craft a space for public engagement and industry dialogue. The site, located within the Sunner Group’s factory complex in Guangze County, is situated at the edge of a dense forest and near the Futun River. Its location, at the threshold between controlled industrial production and the untamed natural topography of the Wuyi Mountains, sets the stage for the architectural narrative.
Rather than imposing a discrete object on the land, the design embraces the principle of shanshui (mountain-water) integration. The concept of “recreating the mountain landscape” is not limited to metaphor; it becomes a formal and tectonic strategy. The museum’s tripartite roof structure, composed of gently sloping curves, rises organically from the ground, imitating the undulating silhouette of nearby hills. This gesture transforms the roof into a walkable terrain and positions the building as a continuation of the landscape rather than a disruption. Simultaneously, it foregrounds architecture’s potential to serve both as an infrastructural utility and a civic platform.
Sunner Museum Spatial Organization
The spatial choreography of the museum is defined by its interlocking roof forms, which function simultaneously as envelope, circulation surface, and public belvedere. Beneath these sculpted planes, the building houses a series of programmatically distinct but spatially connected volumes. Each volume retains its autonomy while remaining part of an integrated circulation system, a condition achieved through thoughtful sectional design and the porous relationships between interior and exterior.
A central feature of the spatial organization is the 25-meter-tall vertical atrium, supported by four silo-shaped shear walls. These cylindrical voids reminiscent of grain silos yet reinterpreted with a structural sensibility anchor the plan while allowing for a column-free exhibition hall. Their scale and materiality introduce a monumental quality to the interior, enabling the display of large-scale installations without spatial interruption. Meanwhile, north-facing skylight filters diffused daylight into the core, avoiding the pitfalls of harsh illumination in exhibition settings.
This choreography extends to the building’s rooftop, which serves as a public space open to everyone. During the day, it offers panoramic views of the surrounding terrain and industrial complex. At night, it becomes a community platform, illustrating how industrial architecture can transcend its private function and engage with the civic realm.
Material Articulation and Environmental Performance
The façade system exemplifies a rigorous exploration of material tectonics. Inspired by the folded steel sheets commonly used in retaining walls, the architects employ concrete folded plates to articulate the exterior envelope. These pleated surfaces introduce a dynamic material rhythm while serving multiple performative roles. At lower levels, they act as stable, load-bearing elements. Near the entrance and public zones, they interface with transparent curtain walls, creating an interplay between solidity and permeability.
The diagonal geometry of the concrete folds is more than just aesthetic. It supports functional imperatives such as water drainage in Fujian’s humid climate and cleverly conceals mechanical louvers. This synthesis of expressive form and technical necessity reflects a broader architectural ambition: to embed environmental performance within the language of the architecture itself rather than as a set of appended technologies.
Further strategies for climatic responsiveness include the extensive use of soil-covered roofing for insulation and steep roof inclines to ensure rapid rainwater discharge. HVAC and lighting systems are integrated into a technical cavity within the roof structure, avoiding visible intrusions while preserving the space’s sculptural integrity.
Sunner Museum Plans
Sunner Museum Image Gallery
About Atelier Alter Architects
Atelier Alter Architects is a Beijing-based interdisciplinary design studio founded by Xiaojun Bu and Yingfan Zhang, known for its research-driven approach that combines architecture, urbanism, and landscape design. The firm explores the intersection of form, environment, and cultural identity, often employing bold geometries and spatial experimentation to address contemporary social and ecological challenges. Their work frequently engages with large-scale civic and institutional programs, aiming to create architecture that is both performative and contextually grounded.
Credits and Additional Notes
- Lead Architects: Xiaojun Bu, Yingfan Zhang (Atelier Alter)
- LDI: Beijing Yanhuang United International Engineering Design Co., Ltd.
- Structural Engineering: Beijing Institute of Architectural Design Co., Ltd.
- Landscape Design: LOCUS Associates, Ltd.
- Façade Engineering: Ping Zhu
- Lighting Design: Z Design & Planning
- Exhibition and VI Design: Jiangsu Science Dream Exhibition Technology Co., Ltd.
- Floor Area: 6,800 sqm
- Site Area: 11,000 sqm
- Construction Cost: $21 million (USD)
