Ningbo Museum

'''<big>Materials</big>'''

'''<big>Materials</big>'''

[[Materiality (architecture)|Materiality]],  or the materials used to construct a building, is a major aspect of the design and construction of the History Museum, as emphasized by Wang Shu. After a period of rapid growth in the wake of the [[Treaty of Nanking|Treaty of Nanjing]], many traditional buildings were demolished in order to create space for new construction. In Wang Shu’s design process, he was dedicated to using sustainable practice and materials.

[[Materiality (architecture)|Materiality]], or the materials used to construct a building, is a major aspect of the design and construction of the History Museum, as emphasized by Wang Shu. After a period of rapid growth in the wake of the [[Treaty of Nanking|Treaty of Nanjing]], many traditional buildings were demolished in order to create space for new construction. In Wang Shu’s design process, he was dedicated to using sustainable practice and materials.

After collecting stones and bricks from demolished structures in the surrounding area, the architect gave the builders some freedom in arranging these to create walls, using the wapan technique. This involves piecing together mismatched pieces of stone or tile with thin layers of lime (similar to concrete), creating a strong but flexible connection between individual pieces. This practice was used historically to rebuild villages after typhoons swept through the region. Wang Shu was adamant on using this building technique as it maintains the practice of traditional Chinese construction, recalling the history of his and the project’s home.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Golden |first=Elizabeth |date=2012 |title=Traditional Materials Optimmized for the Twenty-First Century |url=https://www.acsa-arch.org/proceedings/International%20Proceedings/ACSA.Intl.2012/ACSA.Intl.2012.11.pdf}}</ref>

After collecting stones and bricks from demolished structures in the surrounding area, the architect gave the builders some freedom in arranging these to create walls, using the wapan technique. This involves piecing together mismatched pieces of stone or tile with thin layers of lime (similar to concrete), creating a strong but flexible connection between individual pieces. This practice was used historically to rebuild villages after typhoons swept through the region. Wang Shu was adamant on using this building technique as it maintains the practice of traditional Chinese construction, recalling the history of his and the project’s home.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Golden |first=Elizabeth |date=2012 |title=Traditional Materials Optimmized for the Twenty-First Century |url=https://www.acsa-arch.org/proceedings/International%20Proceedings/ACSA.Intl.2012/ACSA.Intl.2012.11.pdf}}</ref>