ZHUJIADIAN VILLAGE, China—Land-Based Rationalism D-R-C renovated and converted an old brick making factory into the Zhujiadian Brick Kiln Museum. Located in the village of Zhujiadian, where more than ten kilns were used for the production of Jinzhuan—Gold Bricks—for the Forbidden City, the architects write the city bears an unforgettable history.
Naturally not made of real gold, they are so-called because, when knocked, they produce a metallic sound. Another explanation for the name is that they were officially called during the Ming and the Qing dynasties Jingzhuan (capital bricks) because bricks of this quality were meant only for the imperial house in the capital. In time, Jingzhuan came to be known as Jinzhuan or gold bricks. Whatever the reason for the unusual name, they did involve great costs and difficult skills to make and in this sense, the name might not be a great exaggeration.
The old kilns were still working with curling smoke, the architects write of their first tour of the village. But with the degradation of traditional technology, people lookout outside the village to find work, and soon there weren’t enough workers to fire the kilns. Land-Based Rationalism D-R-C writes they looked to an abandoned kiln factory looking over Changbai Lake as their intervention point in order to foster revitalization in Zhujiadian village.
When the point works, it can attract people here to comprehend the history of Gold Bricks, then, from west to the east, visitors will go to the old kilns on the other side of Zhujiadian. They must pass by the village and opportunities for villagers will occur, such as a shop, a café or a small inn.
In keeping with the factory’s history and appearance, the architects renovated the internal structure, while preserving the brick facade. They used a so-called transparent ceramic tiles for the roof in order to reduce the weight bearing of the structure. And inside, the architects employed steel arches to bolster the old kiln spaces.
They put a lot of steel arches inside the kiln space which were not suitable for the dilapidated building. We covered them with brick arches, which could be seen in the old kilns made in 200 years ago. The new brick arches Integrate a space-time tunnel which can lead us to the old days and the working scenes.
Do you love or loathe this example of brick architecture from the world of contemporary ceramic art and contemporary ceramics? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
Add your valued opinion to this post.