Nansong Museum Hangzhou, China

In full consideration of the historical references and the current situation facing the area and its residents, the accompanying measures are proposed to create an appropriate framework for the Imperial City – the heart of the project – and to achieve the overarching urban development goals. The restoration of the clear north-south urban orientation forms the basis while the southern entrance to the Imperial City is elaborated as city’s main access point of yore.

The spatial reconstruction of the city wall forms a clearly legible conclusion to the Imperial City as it traces the original rampart through the urban layout of Hangzhou. The former imperial garden is being restored as testimony to the garden art characteristic of the Song Dynasty. In the adjacent archaeology park, the vertical differential between the excavation finds and the city’s present-day ground level is highlighted through orchestration.