AZL Architects Renovate an Old Kiln Building in China

AZL Architects have rejuvenated a monolithic old kiln building completely surrounded by mountains and dense bamboo forest in Jingdezhen, the porcelain capital of China. The BingDing Wood Kiln is one of a number of places sacred to international ceramics culture in the county of Fuliang, along with the nearby Gaoling Ancient Mine Ruins. The kiln is named after the Chinese ‘Horsetail’ red pine timber favoured by locals and a symbol of the industry for almost 2,000 years.

The project revolves around an egg-shaped kiln, which 70-yr-old local ceramicist Yu Hezhu and a small team of apprentices learned to construct from 83-yr-old master Yu Xunquan. The resulting complex, double-curved brick arch masonry can only be learnt through experience, and there are currently no documented blueprints or construction references for the kiln structure. The craftsmanship is at the brink of extinction due to new industrial technologies, environmental restrictions and alternative fuel sources. Reviving the kiln has a significant impact on preserving this traditional Chinese craft.

AZL’s design revolves around the kiln as the heart of the building, with arch motifs throughout referencing its curved brick roof. Arched openings line external facades, and a row of archways in succession throughout the central void creates a tunnel effect.

Visitors and tourists are encouraged to participate in the firing process. AZL built a second floor observation deck that encircles the building, allowing the vivid spatial relationship between building and kiln to be perceived. The cavernous, hollow interior intersected by archways and columns has a temple-like ambience, with the kiln resembling a sacred tomb.

“The BingDing Wood kiln is a ceremonial space, where the kiln workers have a sense of pride in their work, and also where a strong sense of awe towards both the traditional crafting technique and the unremitting spirit of craftsmanship can be felt unanimously by the visitors,” explain AZL.

Brutalist concrete blocks supported by steel casting comprise the entire structure, the only other primary material being the bricks used to construct the kiln. AZL use the kiln bricks to create lattice structures inlaid over the second-floor section of the arch windows, filtering light into shadow patterns as well as being a visual reference to the kiln within.