For the "Red Box," Mix Architecture proposes a large, solid wall on the north facade, facing the park, above which a rectangular volume appears to float. On the south facade, terraces are stepped back, merging the architecture with nature. In the courtyard wall, a triangular cut conceals the building's entrance, where the access road winds its way into the interior. The entrance space is high and leads to a six-step staircase. The west side of the building is a public space that flows into the adjacent, larger courtyard of the project, where a tree is preserved and a pond surrounded by walkways and vegetation is installed. The north facade features a narrow courtyard, and the south facade, a pine-lined courtyard.
On the upper floor, a corridor connects the two usable spaces like a bridge, offering views of "Red Mountain" to the south. The main walls of these two spaces are made of a semi-permeable acrylic material: one with a dotted pattern, transmitting light like a starry sky; the other, similar to brick, complements the red brick buildings of the park.
"Red Box" Exhibition Center by Mix. Photograph by Arch-Exist.
Project description by Mix Architecture
The "Red Box", designed by Mix Architecture, is made up of red concrete. "Red" responds to the environment, which has three different meanings.
First, the "Red Box" responds to the "red" of chronological memory. Red Mountain Park, formerly known as Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory, was founded in the 1950s, and has experienced the vigorous development of the founding of the New China. The "red" memory has accompanied the growth of several generations.
Secondly, in response to the "red" of the original red brick building of the Red Mountain Park factory area, Mix Architecture decided to make the Red Box a unique building with the same rhythm as the factory. Red concrete is poured using wooden templates, and the size of the wood texture is similar to that of existing red bricks.
Finally, the building also responds to the "red" of Red Mountain. Red Mountain was not its original name. Around 1,500 years ago, in the Six Dynasties era, people called it "Great Spectacular Mountain", where Emperor Chen Xuan once inspected the water training of Xuanwu Lake. During the Republic of China period, people noticed the redness of the mountain soil, and then discovered hematite in Red Mountain. Accordingly, the "Great Spectacular Mountain" was gradually called "Red Mountain". In 1948, "Red Mountain" had become its official name and appeared in the "Detailed Map of Nanjing Streets". The main component of hematite is iron oxide, which is exactly what red concrete does to become the main additive of "red".
The red box is located at the foot of Red Mountain, with a large solid wall facing the park on the north side, like a rectangular volume floating on the horizontal courtyard wall. The terraces on the south side are stepping backward, echoing the Red Mountain, letting nature merge into the building. A triangle cut in the courtyard wall hides the entrance of the building, allowing the road to wind into the building. The entrance space is high, facing the six-fold staircase.
The west side is a public space, which infiltrates with the adjacent courtyard and is the largest courtyard in the red box. A large tree is preserved in the courtyard. The reflecting pool is surrounded by corridors, and the trees and water waves reflect the Red Mountain Forest into the courtyard. The space on the east side is more private.
The north side has a narrow courtyard, while the south side has a pine courtyard, which is evergreen. Walking up the stairs, the corridor connects the two usable spaces on the second floor together, like the bridge. Standing on the bridge and looking south, you see the greenery of the red mountain.
The two main walls of the two spaces on the second floor are made of acrylic semi-permeable material, seemingly randomly embedded in the red concrete wall. One is dot-shaped, which transmits light inside and outside like a starry sky; The other is brick-like, using openwork bricks that complement the red brick buildings in the park. From the interior to the large terrace, the red mountain rushes into the view, making the building a frame as the red mountain melts into the red box.
The determination of the red color of the concrete comes from multiple concrete block pouring tests. After the texture and color met the design requirements, the ratio of raw materials was accurately controlled by a computer during formal construction to ensure that the color was not biased.
The design and construction are highly industrialized, with a synchronous design of architecture, interior, and landscape. The red box is like a mechanical product, exquisite and delicate, integrating indoor and outdoor. To achieve that result, the designer worked closely with multiple manufacturers of concrete, doors and windows, air conditioning, lighting, and many other systems to ensure that all elements were interlocked.
The pursuit of durability is the original intention of design. Accordingly, the designer and manufacturers worked closely together during the entire design concept. The manufacturers met the high-precision standards required, ensuring that the form, space, lighting, and equipment would be a perfect fit, and ensuring a finished product that will endure over time.
