Chi She Art Gallery in Shanghai by Archi-Union.

Chi She is an artistic group in Shanghai, founded by ZHANG Peili and GENG Jiangyi, whose exhibition space in West Bund Art Exhibition Area houses several buildings that corresponds with various artistic missions embedded inside. The brief to Archi-Union Architects called for a building that could provide a delicate and abundant compound art space, where various artistic events, such as exhibition, creative workshop and unpremeditated communication, could take place.

“We retained the initial exterior walls, followed by the elementary performance enhancement and structure reinforcement, in order to provide a maximum exhibition space,” explain the architects. In order to maintain the spatial qualities of the whole artistic park, part of the roof was elevated in order to create an inter-layered space, where people could enjoy the views of the sky. The grey green bricks were chosen for the facade as they perfectly coordinated with surrounding ancient Chinese buildings. When the wall at the entrance is curled up and lit, the ‘wrinkle wall’ texture becomes an impressive part of the manipulated form – this gesture represents an architectural expressions as well as status that embodies current cultural trends based on tradition.

In order to complete the masonry process that cannot be precisely achieved with traditional methods, the architects applied robotic fabrication technique by Fab-Union, which utilises advanced digital fabrication technology to construct on site. The external walls of Chi She were built by the recycled grey green bricks from an old building and constructed with the help of the advanced technology of mechanical arm, which generates a cambered surface morphology, showing the vitality of Chi She.

The precise positioning of the integrated equipment of robotic fabrication technique transforms an ancient material such as brick into one that’s able to meet the requirements of a new era. Dilapidation of old bricks contrast with the stretch display of the curving walls, creating a connection between people and bricks, machines and construction, design and culture – all permanently captured in the shadow of external walls under the setting sun.

See Brick Architecture on Yellowtrace.