Ningbo Historic Museum-Iwan Baan Photos

The Ningbo Historic Museum sit on a massive unpopulated plaza in Yinzhou, a district in the city of Ningbo. The museum, three-story, 30'000-square-metre block positioned on the plaza's northwestern edge.
On approach, its form looks strange. It is apparently a box. Its materials seems to be inconsistent and ill-fitting. The facade is pocked with small windows that reveal nothing of the building's content. Near the museum, the walls reveal the presence of over 20 different types of recycled tiles and bricks collected from destruction sites around the region. In the design Wang Shu has interpreted the idea of the mountain by widening the range of entrances and treating the space inside as if it were a kind of maze.

Wang Shu, the architects, explains: "When I designed this, I was thinking of mountains.I couldn't design something for the city, because here is no city here yet, so I wanted to do something that had life. Finally I decided to design a mountain."

Yinzhou Fantasy Island Master Plan, Ningbo, China

By extending an existing canal system, the Yinzhou Fantasy Island Master Plan, developed by DeStefano and Partners will create a new retail hub in the heart of Ningbo, China. Unique to the Ningbo region with its pedestrian friendly boulevards and proximity to mass transit systems, the development will feature entertainment, retail and cultural venues supported by mixed-use neighborhoods to the North, East and West. A mixed-use mall for family shopping, entertainment and recreation is at the heart of Fantasy Island.
The plan also introduces a dynamic shopping concept of Eight International Shopping Streets inspired by the world’s most prominent retail avenues. Infinity Tower, a 200 meter tall landmark, will house a five star hotel and luxury service apartments to accommodate the island’s temporary guests. On the Chenpodu District Performing Arts Island a Cultural Center with exhibition, art gallery, theater and library space is surrounded by expanses of open public space for outdoor gatherings, festivals and celebrations. The Fantasy Island proposal aims to achieve a hybridization of cultural space and ecological functionality by systematically integrating the canals, wetlands and parks.
The Yinzhou Fantasy Island Master Plan will serve as a commercial hub for both the Ningbo region and the Chenpodu Planning District.