Ningbo History Museum – Amateur Architect Studio

The walls of the Ningbo History Museum feature a wide range of recycled bricks and tiles – some of which date back over a thousand years. The museum was constructed using a traditional technique called wapan, in which multiple elements of different sizes are packed together to create a stable structure.

“Originally in this area there were about thirty beautiful villages and they demolished every village. “Everywhere you go, you find ruins of buildings that have been demolished.”

“But everywhere there are materials, beautiful materials,” he continued. “So I wanted to build this museum for the people who were originally living here so they can keep some memories.”

Wang Shu and Lu Wenyu of Amateur Architect Studio

Erick Van Egeraat – Architect

“At night the backlit perforated facade transforms the incinerator into a gently glowing beacon – a symbol of the plant’s energy production,” said the architect.

“Several times an hour a spark of light will gradually grow into a burning flame that lights up the entire building. When the metaphorical fire ceases, the building falls back into a state of burning embers.”