Site Museum of Jinling Grand Bao’en Temple

No.1, Yuhua Road, Qinhuai District, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China

Grand Bao’en Temple Museum is planned as a significant culture facility and aims for protecting and exhibiting the ruins of the royal Temple of Ming Dynasty in China.

The design process is based on strict preservation planning for the historic heritage. Adhering to the concept of Spanning history and contemporary, integrating city and architecture, the design process operates on both dimensions: In the spatial dimension, a wholistic preservation framework and presentation scheme are put in place to bring together the otherwise fragmentary archaeological findings interspersed throughout the site. In the temporal dimension, the forms and styles of the design navigate between historic reality and inspirations, aiming to bridge the past and present.

The project provides a new strategy for how the site museum balances the relation of the site’s protection regime and presentation its values, as well as shaping contemporary urban vitality. It also explored a new path to interpret the historical and cultural implications through new technologies and materials.