Beijing architects Studio Pei-Zhu have developed a reputation for their sculptural leisure buildings across China, and they have just started work on another: a museum for, and inspired, by pottery.

The Jingdezhen Historical Museum of Imperial Kiln will be located in China’s ‘porcelain capital’ in Jiangxi province. The building – surrounded by clusters of china workshops dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties – is designed in the vault-like shape of an abstract kiln.

The structure will appear to be hand-crafted, evoking the brick kilns that have “been in the hearts of local people for thousands of years”. Other design features will include supporting structures that resemble the sails of ships; referencing the importance of pottery in the early days of the ancient Silk Road trade network.

“Through composition, rotation and the gathering of individual volumes of vaults, the project consciously breaks the inherent urban texture, activates the surrounding environment and contributes to the special experience of the exhibition,” said Studio Pei-Zhu in a statement.

Half of the museum’s volume will lie underground, housing historic artefacts in a secure environment. The architects hope the building and the collection within will make Jingdezhen a “world city of culture” that attracts tourism to the region, as well as creating a meaningful space for the local population.

“An interesting conversation will emerge between the museum and the local surroundings,” they said. “The form is simple and primitive, yet full of strength and light. People will be encouraged by the honesty of the architecture to feel the history and culture of the place.”

Construction on the project is scheduled to begin soon and will be completed in 2017.

Studio Pei-Zhu have previously worked on similarly abstract cultural designs in China; including a mountain-shaped theatre in the southern city of Dali and a hovering garden in Quanzhou National Art Park.

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