© Jingsong Xie (Courtesy of West-line studio)
The Chetian Cultural Center, designed by West-line-studio derives from the historical masonry traditions of Chetian Village. The design was built according to the traditional local methods, using the so-called “blue stone” coming from the village’s pit.
Chetian Cultural Center Technical Information
- Architects : West-line-studio
- Typology : Cultural Architecture / Cultural and Exhibition center
- Location: Chetian Village – Guiyang – Guizhou Province – China
- Completion year: 2015
- Building type: Masonry structure, Limestone
- Building area: 715 sqm
- Design Team: Haobo Wei, Jingsong Xie (architecture and interior design), Martina Muratori (exhibition design and curator)
- Images: © Jingsong Xie (Courtesy of West-line-studio)
Chetian Cultural Center Photographs
© Jingsong Xie (Courtesy of West-line studio)
© Jingsong Xie (Courtesy of West-line studio)
© Jingsong Xie (Courtesy of West-line studio)
© Jingsong Xie (Courtesy of West-line studio)
© Jingsong Xie (Courtesy of West-line studio)
© Jingsong Xie (Courtesy of West-line studio)
© Jingsong Xie (Courtesy of West-line studio)
© Jingsong Xie (Courtesy of West-line studio)
© Jingsong Xie (Courtesy of West-line studio)
Chetian Cultural Center Description
The cultural center is located in the rural Chetian Village (车田村), 30km from Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou province, in South-West China. The village has more than 400 years of history and is famous for its ‘stone houses’ built with local materials. Forty-one families, out of the 207 living in the village, belong to the Miao (苗) ethnic minority, one of the oldest minority groups in China, most of whom live in Guizhou province. The square outside the cultural center, surrounded by the river, is often used as a stage for local Miao dance and drama performances.
The architecture of the cultural center is strongly characterized by 40cm thick walls, built according to the local traditional methods, using the stone coming from the village’s pit. The stone has a very unique blue shade, which is why it is commonly called ‘blue stone’.
It comes from sedimentary rocks, and its major components are Limestone and dolomite. The obsessive and robust presence of the stone creates an intimate interior space and shows the architects’ deep respect for the historical masonry traditions of Chetian Village.
Chetian Cultural Center Plans
© West-line-studio
© West-line-studio
© West-line-studio
Chetian Cultural Center Gallery
About West-line studio
West-line Studio 西线工作室 is based in Guiyang, Guizhou province, in South-West China, and exclusively works in this region. The practice was founded more than ten years ago and has always been researching and working on contemporary vernacular architecture around the Karst geomorphologic area and local subcultures’ diversity.
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