Located on the north side of the Xiaojingwan University campus in Shenzhen, the CRLand Archive Library serves as an archive for the client and functions as a gallery space and lecture hall that serves the nearby campus.

The project’s upper two floors (housing the building’s public programs) are restricted to a boxy massing defined by the footprint of the archive vaults beneath. To increase connections between the internal program and the site beyond, Link-Arc created two interior public spaces: an understated entry lobby connected to the main campus, and a dramatic exhibition space with views of the city and landscape beyond. The two spaces are connected by a linear skylight hall which provides access to the second floor.

As part of the design process, Link-Arc studied the possibilities inherent within the geometric module of the brick. It is used both as a solid cladding, to promote a sense of mass and weight, and as light skin, to promote transparency and layering.

The mass of the brick combined with clear subtractive gestures and delicate screen effects creates a dynamic exterior massing and a compelling interior experience. The hand-made nature the brick adds a unique exterior texture that connects the project to the land, to history, and to the simple act of making. Each brick, formed and fired by hand, records its own creation and creates a dynamic surface that changes over the course of the day.