Concrete seems to float over a wooded hillside in Shandong. The heavy upper volume rests on three points, and lens-shaped openings pierce the level beneath it. The structure is the Rizhao Community Art Center, a concrete art center designed by ZAO / Zhang Ke Architecture Office.
The building sits in Bailuwan, also called Egret Bay, on the Yellow Sea coast. It belongs to a larger residential and resort development. The site includes a small lake that shapes the building’s curves.
Another Chinese cultural building shows how sweeping curves can reshape a city’s skyline. Shanghai Grand Opera House’s spiraling helical roof is worth a look for its public-facing form.
The center is meant for nearby residents. It combines exhibition rooms with spaces for gatherings and performances. Its plan turns a familiar museum layout inside out. Galleries go underground, the central floor stays open to the land, and courtyards sit above.
How the concrete frame carries the load
The upper floors are supported by a web of deep, curved concrete beams. Three structural cores carry the weight down to the ground. The same cores hold the stairways, so the cores do double duty. The frame is central to the building’s concrete architecture.
Because the frame handles the load, the architects could leave most of the ground floor open. Wide cutouts face the grassy slopes. The upper level holds trapezoidal courtyards and smaller community rooms, while the galleries lie underground.
The underside of the roof, known as the soffit, is the building’s most dramatic surface. It rises and dips across the space. Visitors notice their headroom changing as they walk beneath it.
The exterior is cast-in-place concrete, poured on site into formwork. The walls are insulated and double-layered. Grooves from the timber boards used to shape the forms still show on the surface, most clearly on the underside of the curves. Where the upper and lower volumes meet, a narrow slot lets green views reach the otherwise closed stairwells.
Courtyards above, galleries below: inside the concrete art center
The upper level feels very different. Trapezoidal courtyards and small community rooms line a series of winding passages. The layout faces inward, a choice the design draws from traditional Chinese gardens. Some rooms are roofed, while others open to the sky. An accessible rooftop terrace returns the view to the forest and lake.
The central floor is the building’s public face. Footbridges connect it to the nearby roads and paths. On its northeastern side, the floor opens toward the water. The space can host outdoor cinema, theater, and community events. It also works as a shortcut for people crossing the hillside.
Underground, a gently sloping concrete ramp leads to the galleries inside this building. The gallery level follows the existing ground, so its ceiling mirrors the hill’s shape above. Structural elements split the interior into linked rooms. Some are enclosed and quiet. Others are wide enough to display large works.
If the sculptural concrete forms here caught your eye, this desert project takes a more playful approach to the material. Concrete play structures in Chihuahua’s desert park shows how the same medium can invite movement and everyday use.
The main article describes the center as completed.
Across all three levels of this building, the same concrete frame produces three kinds of experience. Above, courtyards offer quiet shelter. The middle floor stays exposed to wind, light, and the hillside. Below, visitors descend into rooms where art sits against the earth. The building invites people to wander through it, much as they would wander across the land around it.
Sources & Links
Source: designboom.com
Frequently asked questions
Who designed the Rizhao Community Art Center in Shandong?
The Rizhao Community Art Center was designed by ZAO / Zhang Ke Architecture Office. It is a concrete art center in Bailuwan, also called Egret Bay, on the Yellow Sea coast.
What supports the upper floors of the Rizhao art center?
The upper floors are supported by a web of deep, curved concrete beams. Three structural cores carry the weight down to the ground, and the same cores also hold the stairways.
Where are the galleries located in the Rizhao Community Art Center?
The galleries are underground, and their ceiling follows the shape of the existing hill above. The upper level holds trapezoidal courtyards and smaller community rooms.
Who is the Rizhao Community Art Center meant to serve?
The center is meant for nearby residents. It combines exhibition rooms with spaces for gatherings and performances.
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