Penda is a studio founded in 2012 by architects Chris Precht and Dayong Sun and it is located both in Beijing and Vienna.
The duo sees architecture as a statement that always starts with questions about the content and the context, identity, density and the community of a specific site. Through their portfolio, we can see how this approach creates buildings and installations that are tailored on the site and use.
More specifically, we can see an actual application of this process in the Hongkun Art Gallery.
Located in the south of Beijing, this art pavilion’s white exterior works a sculptural focal point for the area.
The whole building presents as main formal element the arch: this shape has to be intended as the evolution and combination of the abstract shapes of the mountain and valleys that surround the area.
A monolithic façade works as majestic opening and entrance to the art gallery and welcomes the visitor with this arch-like curve that then continue in the pure white interiors.
The contrast between the solid expression of the monolithic exterior and the carved out interior creates an interesting play of volumes and increases the sculptural appearance of the art gallery.
Penda didn’t simply seek for clear formal inspirations in the landscape around the site, but they also studied the relationship between the visitor and the art pieces exposed in museums and ended up creating an art-space which looks like an installation itself, preparing the public through the visit.
The interplay between arches with different sizes and orientations create a gentle, continuous, dynamic curve that guides the visitor around and recalls the above mentioned interpretation of the landscape.
The arches also get a functional value in specific areas when they became the entrance information desk, a coat room or the main staircase connecting in a fluent way the basement, ground level and mezzanine.
