Window of Kaizhou Museum by BIAD + ZXD Architects: A Visionary Gateway Between Nature and Urban Culture

Blending Architecture with Landscape in Deyang, China

Located at the heart of the Kaizhou New Town in Deyang, Sichuan Province, the Window of Kaizhou Museum, also known as the Kaizhou New Town Planning Exhibition Hall, stands as a landmark architectural statement. Designed by BIAD (Beijing Institute of Architectural Design) in collaboration with ZXD Architects, the museum reflects a thoughtful synthesis of nature, urban planning, and cultural storytelling.

A Symbolic Urban Beacon

Positioned at the intersection of two major urban axes—the People’s Canal Park, a green spine of the startup zone, and the Zhongjiang–Jintang Expressway, a key transportation artery—the museum occupies a strategic and symbolic location. As the first major public building in the startup area, the structure serves not only as a civic space but also as the most visible and literal “window” into the aspirations of the new town’s development.

Contextual Site Integration

Covering a total floor area of 7,820 square meters on a 14,000-square-meter plot, the museum is flanked by a serene lotus pond to the west and a gentle hill to the east. The People’s Canal, a historic waterway, meanders through the hill, symbolizing the integration of natural landscape and cultural heritage. The architectural response is rooted in this context, reactivating the existing site conditions and aligning with the broader philosophy of harmonizing human settlement and ecological continuity.

Design Concept: Framing the Future Through a Window

The museum’s central concept revolves around a monumental “window”—a large, open void carved through a 20-meter-high and 100-meter-long volume. This architectural gesture not only dramatizes the façade but creates a dynamic spatial connection between the lotus pond and the hill. A pedestrian bridge threads through this void, encouraging visitors to physically and metaphorically traverse the town’s past, present, and future.

This powerful design move establishes a visual corridor, framing natural vistas and cultivating a new experiential dialogue between architecture and landscape. Visitors perceive the surrounding environment differently as they pass through the "window," transforming ordinary views into curated landscape moments.

Program and Spatial Layout

The building consists of two interlocking volumes—north and south—joined by a central entrance hall on the ground level. The four-story museum includes a planning exhibition zone, conference facilities, administrative offices, and a staff canteen located on the northern side.

• The south volume houses exhibition areas on the 2nd and 3rd floors and offices on the 4th.
• The north volume comprises mainly office spaces from the 2nd to 4th floors.
• The central open-air platform—the symbolic "window"—is situated between the volumes, offering both public gathering space and scenic overlooks.

This thoughtful division allows efficient circulation while highlighting spatial contrasts between solid built mass and open voids.

Sustainable Design Strategies and Passive Ventilation

The east elevation features large window openings that promote natural light and ventilation, improving energy efficiency. In contrast, the west elevation is intentionally solid to minimize solar gain, doubling as a display wall for the museum’s identity.

A series of layered terraces carved from the stone volume ascend the western façade. These outdoor paths create multi-level access to different floors, alleviate pressure on interior vertical circulation, and provide varied observation points. This continuous exterior journey not only enhances visitor experience but embodies the concept of a “walkable building”, allowing users to discover the surrounding landscape from diverse elevations.

Cultural Continuity and Urban Vision

By combining architectural monumentality with contextual humility, the Window of Kaizhou Museum presents a nuanced vision of urban culture. It honors agricultural traditions through its lotus pond connection while projecting the progressive urban identity of Kaizhou through its bold geometry and strategic transparency.

As visitors explore, ascend, and gaze through this structure, they are invited to engage with both the landscape and cultural evolution of the city. The museum becomes a civic stage, a place of encounter and contemplation, and a symbolic gateway to the future of Kaizhou.

All Photographs are works of Xing Fu, Jinbo Han, ZXD Architects