Amateur Architecture Studio Clads a Chinese Archive with Thousands of Celadon Tiles | Architectural Record
China has no shortage of history; with more than 4,000 recorded years of it, the country is considered the oldest living civilization in the world. That comes with its own set of quandaries, such as how to collect, preserve, and curate countless artifacts, from ancient books and manuscripts to stamps. In 2022, the Chinese government responded to the challenge by inaugurating the National Archives of Publications and Culture as a repository of that heritage, with a headquarters in Beijing and three satellite campuses dispersed throughout the country. One is in Liangzhu—a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the outskirts of Hangzhou—and, designed by the city’s own Amateur Architecture Studio, skillfully draws from the region’s artistic and architectural vernacular with pagoda-like structures, complex woodwork, and, most conspicuously, thousands of celadon ceramic facade tiles.