Silver A' Design Award Winner 2024
A museum building composed of interconnected cream-white geometric volumes stands before brown mountains under a blue sky with scattered white clouds. Scanning from background to foreground, the upper portion presents a mountain range with slopes the color of warm cinnamon and dry earth, sparsely vegetated with a texture like rough weathered fabric. A small structure with what appears to be a blue element sits atop the central peak. The sky above glows cerulean like clear shallow water, with wispy clouds stretched horizontally. The museum occupies the central and lower portions, its surfaces smooth as eggshell or fine plaster in warm ivory tones. The tallest element is a rectangular tower rising on the left side, its top featuring an open wooden lattice framework suggesting aged honey or golden wood. This tower feels solid yet aspirational in its vertical reach. To its right, lower volumes step down and forward in an interlocking arrangement, creating a sense of protective enclosure. Perforated walls punctuate several surfaces with regular grids of square openings, creating a texture like woven fabric or careful embroidery that allows glimpses of darkness within. The main entrance appears at center, marked by deeper shadow and framed by angled walls that create a welcoming threshold. Text in script appears on the facade, suggesting cultural identification. The foreground presents a paved plaza in cool gray asphalt tones, with broad steps rising at left toward a secondary entrance. The light arrives from the left, warm like late afternoon sunshine, casting gentle shadows that reveal each volume's dimensional presence. The overall atmosphere feels contemplative and reverent, suggesting a place of cultural significance where precious heritage finds protection and celebration.
Set against the foothills of the mountains, the Lhasa Thangka Museum is structured akin to a Tibetan monastery, fostering a profound connection with the surrounding mountains and sky. The combination of internal and external viewing paths inspires visitors to feel and appreciate the cultural characteristics of Tibet. The detail design respects the heritage of the local culture and reproduces the traditional artistic features with a modern architectural language.The museum aims to be a window for the dissemination of Thangka art, it will treasure and promote Thangka and Tibetan culture