![](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2008/11/liangzhu-culture-museum-3.jpg)
Liangzhu Culture Museum by David Chipperfield Architects
David Chipperfield Architects have completed the Liangzhu Culture Museum at Hangzhou, China.
![Liangzhu Culture Museum by David Chipperfield Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2008/11/liangzhu-culture-museum-2.jpg)
The museum, which will house a collection of archaeological findings from the Liangzhu period, is part of a new garden town called Liangzhu Cultural Village.
![](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2008/11/liangzhu-culture-museum-4.jpg)
The museum is composed of four parallel bar-shaped volumes, clad in Iranian travertine.
![Liangzhu Culture Museum by David Chipperfield Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2008/11/liangzhu-culture-museum-5.jpg)
The following is from David Chipperfield Architects:
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Liangzhu Culture Museum
Hangzhou, China
2003 – 2008
The museum houses a collection of archaeological findings from the Liangzhu culture, also known as the Jade culture (c3000 BC). It forms the northern point of the ‘Liangzhu Cultural Village’, a newly created park town near Hangzhou.
![Liangzhu Culture Museum by David Chipperfield Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2008/11/liangzhu-culture-museum-6.jpg)
The building is set on a lake and connected via bridges to the park. The sculptural quality of the building ensemble reveals itself gradually as the visitor approaches the museum through the park landscape.
![Liangzhu Culture Museum by David Chipperfield Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2008/11/liangzhu-culture-museum-7.jpg)
The museum is composed of four bar-formed volumes made of Iranian travertine stone, equal in 18m width but differing in height.
![](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2008/11/liangzhu-culture-museum-15.jpg)
Each volume contains an interior courtyard.
![Liangzhu Culture Museum by David Chipperfield Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2008/11/liangzhu-culture-museum-8.jpg)
These landscaped spaces serve as a link between the exhibition halls and invite the visitor to linger and relax.
![Liangzhu Culture Museum by David Chipperfield Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2008/11/liangzhu-culture-museum-14.jpg)
Despite the linearity of the exhibition halls, they enable a variety of individual tour routes through the museum.
![Liangzhu Culture Museum by David Chipperfield Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2008/11/liangzhu-culture-museum-9.jpg)
To the south of the museum is an island with an exhibition area, linked to the main museum building via a bridge.
![Liangzhu Culture Museum by David Chipperfield Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2008/11/liangzhu-culture-museum-11.jpg)
The edge areas of the surrounding landscape, planted with dense woods, allow only a few directed views into the park.
![Liangzhu Culture Museum by David Chipperfield Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2008/11/liangzhu-culture-museum-10.jpg)
The entrance hall can be reached via a courtyard, the centrepiece of which is a reception desk of Ipe wood, lit from above.
![Liangzhu Culture Museum by David Chipperfield Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2008/11/liangzhu-culture-museum-12.jpg)
The material concept consists of solid materials that age well, Ipe wood and travertine stone, and extends to all public areas of the museum.
![Liangzhu Culture Museum by David Chipperfield Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2008/11/liangzhu-culture-museum-13.jpg)
Client: Zhejiang Vanke Narada Real Estate Group Co., Ltd.
Project Date: 2003
Completion: June 2007
Opening: October 2008
Architect: David Chipperfield Architects
Principal: David Chipperfield
Director: Mark Randel
Project Architect: Annette Flohrschütz
Project Team: Libin Chen, Marcus Mathias, Christof Piaskowski, Arndt Weiss, Liping Xu
Gross floor area: 9.500 m²
Landscape Design: Levin Monsigny Landschaftsarchitekten
Exhibition designer: Guangdong Jimei Design and Engineering Co.
Graphics: Ute Zscharnt in collaboration with SV Associates, Andrew Mark Lawrence, Nancy Chen Si Min
Local Architect: ZTUDI The Architectural Design and Research Institute Zhejiang
University of Technology
Photographs: Christian Richters
![Liangzhu Culture Museum by David Chipperfield Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2008/11/david-chipperfield-architects-drawing-2.jpg)
![Liangzhu Culture Museum by David Chipperfield Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2008/11/david-chipperfield-architects-drawing-5.jpg)
![Liangzhu Culture Museum by David Chipperfield Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2008/11/david-chipperfield-architects-drawing-8.jpg)
![Liangzhu Culture Museum by David Chipperfield Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2008/11/david-chipperfield-architects-drawing-4.jpg)
![Liangzhu Culture Museum by David Chipperfield Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2008/11/david-chipperfield-architects-drawing-9.jpg)
![Liangzhu Culture Museum by David Chipperfield Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2008/11/david-chipperfield-architects-drawing-10.jpg)
![Liangzhu Culture Museum by David Chipperfield Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2008/11/liangzhu-culture-museum.jpg)