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DesignNewswire · COMO, Italy ·

Silver A' Design Award in Interior Space and Exhibition Design Goes to Xu Wei Art Museum by U a D

U a D recognized for interior space and exhibition design by the international grand jury of the 2022 - 2023 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 20, 2023 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Xu Wei Art Museum by U a D, designed for Uad, has been granted the Silver A' Design Award in the Interior Space and Exhibition Design category. The award was conferred within the 2022 - 2023 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

The Silver A' Design Award Explained

The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.

More About Xu Wei Art Museum

Xu Wei is an art museum interior in Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province, China, with an area of 8,000 square meters. The design unites architecture, interior and display space in one scheme. A transparent ground floor links the exhibition halls on both sides with the north and south squares. Internal courtyards divide the exhibition areas and increase transparency. Elements are simplified into white geometric forms, so light, shadow and landscape views remain the focus. Veneers were polished and coated on site to obtain a clean white surface similar to traditional rice paper.

About U a D

The Architectural Design & Research Institute of Zhejiang University Co., Ltd. (UAD) was established in 1953. Formerly known as Zhejiang University Architectural Design Studio, it is one of the earliest First Class Design Institutes among major national universities. The mission of UAD is to seek “harmonious environment, global vision, design-teaching-research integration and innovation, and the highest professionalism”. UAD adopts the development strategy of “high-grade culture, broad vision, high-efficiency management, high-caliber talents, high professional technologies and high-quality works”, with the academic theory of “Balanced Architecture” as the design guideline.

Award Record

U a D is a winner of 4 A' Design Awards, including this recognition. The awards were granted between the 2019 - 2020 and the 2022 - 2023 editions of the A' Design Award & Competition.

About the A' Interior Space, Retail and Exhibition Design Award

The A' Interior Design Award is an international interior design competition recognizing good interior designs by interior designers and architects worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to interior designers, interior architects, architects and decorators from all countries. Typical entries include residential interiors, restaurants, hotels, offices, galleries and retail stores. The awarded interior designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/interior

About A' Design Award & Competition

Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project
Xu Wei Art Museum
Function
Art Museum
Category
Interior Space and Exhibition Design
Discipline
Spatial Design
Industry
Architecture and Packaging & Retail
Colors
Dark Gray, Silver, Gainsboro, Gray and Light Gray
Images
5
Client
Uad

The Recognition

Laureate
U a D
Country
China
Recognition
Silver A' Design Award
Edition
2022 - 2023
Design ID
#142326

Credits

Team
Chu Ran, Liu Wanlin, Wang Junzheng and Mei Wenbin
Image Credits
Zhao Qiang

Design Details

Unique Properties
As for the distribution and functions of the areas, the overall design is as free and refreshing as Xu Wei's art works, in quest of a flowing atmosphere rather than meaningless and strange forms. The transparent ground floor connects exhibition halls on both sides and the north and south squares. Thanks to the changing light and shadows, as well as the huge transparent glass, the whole space is connected in harmony. Here, a splendid picture is unfolding, bringing our memory back to the past.
Inspiration
In order to achieve the aesthetic aim of "though made by man, it seems to be created by nature," the project takes cues from the essence of Oriental aesthetics of "unity of man and nature." The designers convert all elements into simple, white geometric ones, so as to highlight various scenes. The design not only responds to Xu Wei's artistic idea of "adopting basic colors," but incorporates into the local historical context and renders an ethereal art world with "blank" as a carrier.
Research
As for the whole space, the design team implements the holistic design philosophy of integrating architecture, the interior, and display space. Along the stairs, the rough plain-white textures on the surface extend to the second floor. The long, narrow hallway and the double-pitched roof are combined to create a framed view which encompasses both tourists and landscapes, and create a setting with various uses, including resting, gathering, viewing and taking pictures.
Challenge
Many attempts were made to select main materials for the veneers. At the beginning, the materials chose by the designers appeared gray and dark, far from the desired effect. Later, in response, the veneers were re-polished on the site and re-clad with coatings, with the purpose of producing a visual effect as pure, clean and white as Chinese traditional rice papers.
Realization and Technology
Taking inspiration from Xu Wei's paintings, the designers set up an internal courtyard on both sides, respectively, reasonably dividing exhibition halls, enhancing interior transparency and adhering to the design idea of "merging courtyards with the interior". For example, landscaped structures are introduced into the interior framework system, providing visitors with more opportunities to explore the beauty of nature.
Operation and Interaction
The museum and the surrounding landscapes are intertwined, creating a number of gray spaces that embody the Oriental aesthetic functions of "hiding, resting, self-cultivating and wandering" that are specific to Chinese traditional architecture. The designers create a complete and coherent spatial experience related with the architecture and landscapes for tourists, with the aid of the spatial construction technique known as "viewpoint transformation."
Project Duration and Location
Design Cycle: April 2020-April 2021 Completion time: October 2021 Locayion: No. 33, Houguan Lane, Yuecheng District, Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province
Specifications
Project area: 8,000 square meters Type: Art Museum
Keywords
UAD, Xu Wei, Art Museum, herringbone slope, Qingteng Bookstore

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