Anren Culture Center for Sect of Great Craftsman by Atelier Li Xinggang

The Anren Culture Center for the Sect of Great Craftsman is situated in the historic heart of Anren Ancient Town, Chengdu—a place where buildings of multiple eras, styles, and scales coexist, creating a townscape rich in complexity, diversity, and striking contrasts. The ancient town’s architectural fabric, spanning traditional mansions, eclectic East-meets-West structures, and contemporary urban developments, presented a unique challenge: how to design a cultural center that harmonizes with this layered environment while also offering a contemporary reinterpretation of local architectural traditions.

Strategic Urban Placement

Located at the core of Anren’s urban life, the project connects key nodes of the town: Shuren Ancient Street to the north, Liushi Manorial and Jianchuan Museum to the east, and the Sheraton Hotel to the south. The site is bisected by main roads, making it both a focal point and a transitional zone within the town. One part of the surrounding area is dominated by eclectic historical architecture, while the other is characterized by modern structures erected during rapid urbanization. The resulting tension in scale, orientation, and stylistic language informed the design approach: the center needed to mediate between contrasting urban fabrics while respecting the town’s historical essence.

Courtyards and Pitched Roof Clusters

At the heart of the design is a series of courtyards of varying sizes, enveloped by clusters of pitched roofs. This arrangement is a contemporary reinterpretation of the mansion typology unique to Anren. The project originates from the ancestral house of Chen Yuesheng, stepping gradually from west to east, and uses freely arranged roof clusters to create a dynamic urban tapestry. The resulting composition fosters a rhythm of openness and enclosure, where courtyards serve as both social spaces and visual breathing points, allowing visitors to experience the site as a sequence of intimate and expansive moments.

Architectural Integration and Urban Repair

Beyond its aesthetic appeal, the project serves a critical urban function. The architecture repairs the fragmented texture of the ancient town, bridging discontinuities in scale and orientation while enhancing the harmonious characteristics of the town’s core space. By aligning the new building forms with the surrounding urban grain, the design restores a sense of cohesion to Anren, ensuring that the center feels integrated rather than imposed.

Roof Walkways: Connecting Architecture, Town, and Landscape

A defining feature of the center is the walkway atop the pitched roofs, designed to serve both maintenance and public functions. Visitors can ascend along the ridges and gutters of the roof clusters, experiencing a perspective akin to walking along mountain peaks. From this elevated vantage, the architecture, the town below, and the distant Xiling Snow Mountain engage in a visual dialogue, reinforcing the relationship between the built environment and the surrounding landscape. This design strategy transforms the building into a connector of scales, from the individual to the town to the natural horizon.

Arches as Cultural and Structural Anchors

The center draws inspiration from the distinctive archways of historic Anren mansions, which epitomize the town’s eclectic architectural style. In response, the design introduces a series of concrete arches of varying scales, arranged on a modular 6×6 meter grid. These arches serve multiple purposes: they define indoor and outdoor spatial boundaries, support clerestory windows that bring natural light into the interiors, and provide the structural basis for the roof walkways.

Materiality and Structural Expression

To echo the brick-and-timber hybrid construction of traditional mansions, the design places a timber roof frame atop the concrete arches, with steel pipes and tension rods providing planar stability. This approach maintains a visual and structural continuity with the town’s historical aesthetic while employing contemporary construction techniques. The combination of timber, concrete, and steel establishes a tactile dialogue with the surrounding architecture, preserving the essence of Anren’s eclectic style while articulating a modern identity.

A Contemporary Interpretation of Tradition

Through its composition of courtyards, roof clusters, arches, and material layering, the Anren Culture Center serves as both a cultural hub and an architectural mediator. It honors the town’s rich heritage, reconnects fragmented urban spaces, and introduces contemporary design elements that enrich the visitor experience. The project exemplifies how thoughtful architecture can balance historical preservation, urban repair, and innovative design, creating a space where the town’s past and present coexist harmoniously.

Photography: Schran Image & Yimin Chen