Lizhai Granary (Tourism Service Complex) Reform Project

This work comes from the remodeling of a vacant granary located at an ancient residence, namely Lizhai Village in Dongyang, Jinhua City, China. As for the architectural form, designers analyzed and extracted elements of the local buildings such as the obtuse-angle sloping roof. And then they employ several methods of reconstruction involving array, stretching and shearing to generate new combinations of those elements. Modern deconstructionism merges into the culture of ancient residences, which make for a balance between art of styling and functionality of architecture. It not only honors the traditional architectural art, but also constructs a brand new architectural image. The remodeled Lizhai Granary is divided into four parts: the visitor service center, the farming museum, the reception center and the speciality catering. The visitor service center is near the square, the main entrance and also the center of the street district. It makes up for the inadequacy that Lizhai Village had no place for visitor reception before. What’s more, the spiritual fort possessing the features of Lizhai is laid at the entrance, further enhancing the identity of the visitor service center as a landmark. At the right of the visitor service center is the reception center, which occupies the largest space after remodeling. Compared with other functional blocks, it features a more extended, independent and tranquil atmosphere. It includes meeting rooms, high-end catering and the cafe, especially responsible for businessmen’s fieldwork and reception. At the back of the visitor service center is the farming museum, which stores collections to represent the cultural essence here. With its strict logic of moving routes, it helps visitors appreciate local culture, history and cultural inheritance. Finally, it comes to the speciality catering, which is close to Qianshan Road and the provincial highway. The design of the speciality catering supplements the high-end catering to Qianshan Business District, enriches the place with vibes of life and functions as a wonderful place for nearby visitors and workers tasting local food.