Xiuwu County in Henan province, China, is known for producing medicinal herbs, in particular Rehmannia root. This is the context behind the exhibition hall of Houyanmen Village, in Huanfeng.
Through on-site research on the techniques of processing Rehmannia roots, LUO studio learned of the traditional “nine steaming and nine sun-drying” methodology, and this was a pivotal concept in shaping the design scheme, with light as the central theme.
With a diameter of 37 meters, the wood and brick building takes on an almost round architectural form, with a curvilinear effect generated by straight lines, based on a regular polygon of eighteen sides. The exhibition hall moves an extreme of each side towards the center of the circle, aligning it perpendicularly to the extension line of the loadbearing columns. Seen from outside, the adjacent side walls are stepped, letting natural light in. The wooden beams hold each other up, forming a spiral. The structural system decomposes into small standardized modular components, facilitating the construction process and montage.
There are three rings: the outer one, which integrates the enclosing walls with timber structures; the central one, where shelves display a variety of Rehmannia root products; and the innermost one, with terraced seating and a skylight 2.5 meters in diameter bringing in daylight and accentuating the centrality.
