With the conversion of four historic granaries and two warehouses into a museum set in parkland, the scheme attempts to save a piece of old Tangshan from the wave of urbanisation sweeping through the city. The long, rectangular buildings lie perpendicular to the ridgeline of the Da Cheng hill, creating a harmonious rhythm, with additions that follow the parallel patterns of the existing structures, keeping the visual coherence. The layout of the museum park also reconnects the hill with the city with a series of gardens, courtyards and walkways. The reinforced concrete, wood sidings and metal grating of the additions are kept distinct from the masonry walls of the existing buildings, showing the layers of history at the site.

Source:

The Aga Khan Trust for Culture, 2011.