Shou County Culture and Art Center

In Shouxian, a city in Anhui Province, rises the Shou County Culture and Art Center, a work of the Beijing studio headed by Zhu Pei.

The construction is inspired by the courtyard houses of local tradition, which are closed to the exterior and separated from each other by narrow alleys. The public square represents the tang wu — central room — of Shou County's typical homes, while the rear court resembles the local backyard.

The concrete facades of the rectangular solid present irregular perforations, with openings of different sizes. Inside, a winding path protected against the sun and rain leads visitors along a bridge and through courtyards and three levels, connecting spaces that show deliberate interplays of light and shadow.