Hunan Art Museum pairs low vermilion volumes with a folded white block, using custom glazed terracotta to turn colour, profile and joint geometry into architectural scale.
The complex stands at No. 2 Jinjiang Road (靳江路2号), Yuelu District, Changsha, on the west side of the Xiangjiang River. It combines Hunan Art Museum with the House of Literature and Art and opened to the public on 28 September 2019.
Verified project record
| Formal project | Hunan Art Museum and House of Literature and Art complex, Changsha, Hunan, China |
|---|---|
| Address | No. 2 Jinjiang Road (靳江路2号), Yuelu District, Changsha |
| Owner | Hunan Federation of Literary and Art Circles |
| Architect | Huajian Group Shanghai Architectural Design & Research Institute; lead architects Chang Su and Ya Gong; project director Jianping Yuan |
| General contractor | Hunan No. 6 Engineering Co., Ltd., as credited in the published architectural project record |
| Year | Project year 2019; public opening 28 September 2019 |
| Area records | The architect’s published project sheet lists 30,000 m². The museum’s institutional profile separately reports a site of more than 50,000 m² and building area of more than 24,700 m². These likely use different boundaries and are not merged into one figure. |
| Facade products | Custom vermilion and white glazed terracotta panels; LOPO’s product publications describe triangular and trapezoidal red profiles plus white glazed panels |
Horizontal folds shape the museum at city scale
The design institute describes continuous horizontal fold lines gathering the complex into a series of offset volumes. Their movement forms semi-enclosed courts and places the public building between the city, the river and the Yuelu landscape. The lower vermilion fields read as long bands, while recessed glazing and changes in plane introduce depth rather than treating the facade as a flat colour surface.
Custom red terracotta builds directional texture
LOPO’s project publications say it designed and produced several custom red glazed terracotta profiles for the museum. Trapezoidal panels were arranged horizontally across major fields, while triangular panels were used vertically as local accents. Smaller trapezoidal terracotta elements were also placed in front of first-floor glazing. These statements identify the manufacturer’s product-development role; the available sources do not establish a facade-installation contract for LOPO.
The alternating orientations let one material produce different shadow lines. Close views show that the red elevations are not one repeating flat panel: horizontal ridges, vertical fins, recessed openings and screen-like bands respond to changes in volume. Exact module sizes, attachment calculations and quantities are not available in the verified public record used here.
The white upper block is also glazed terracotta
The white facade can resemble stone or metal at a distance, but the museum’s official profile calls both the ochre-red and white finishes custom terracotta panels. LOPO’s technical feature identifies the white field more specifically as glazed terracotta panels with a published 30 mm thickness and 300 mm face width. It says panels were cut into irregular polygons to develop the folded-paper and crack-pattern effect.
Those dimensions and fabrication notes belong to LOPO’s record of this project, not to a universal system specification. The visual pattern required coordinated panelisation, joints and support locations; project drawings, calculations, tests and installation records remain controlling for any technical assessment or attempt to adapt the idea elsewhere.
What the case study can—and cannot—transfer
Transferable design question
Can one clay body and glaze family support multiple profiles, directions and scales while keeping an accepted colour range?
Project-specific evidence
Exact units, batches, dimensions, tolerances, loads, rails, clips, anchors, substrate, joints, drainage and replacement route require the approved project record.
Visual mock-up
Include red and white ranges, profile transitions, corners, openings, irregular cuts, joints and viewing conditions. A visual approval does not prove structural, water or fire performance.
Responsibility boundary
Architect, facade/envelope designer, structural and fire teams, manufacturer, contractor and installer each retain their documented project scope; product supply is not whole-wall design.
Sources and current project resources
- Hunan Art Museum official profile for identity, location, institutional area figures and confirmation of red and white custom terracotta panels;
- Hunan Provincial Government opening notice for the public opening date;
- published architectural project record for architect, project team, owner, contractor, project year and the 30,000 m² project-area figure; and
- LOPO’s manufacturer technical feature and LOPO project record for the product and manufacturer-role claims.
For current product families and project-specific documentation, review Terracotta Rainscreen, browse the Project Gallery, or contact LOPO with the required colour, profile, module, quantity, system concept and evidence scope.
Develop a custom glazed terracotta facade brief
Share the building and exposure, elevation intent, colours and accepted variation, profiles and orientations, panel module, substrate/support concept, interfaces, evidence requirements, mock-up scope, quantities and programme. Product selection, facade engineering, installation and compliance remain project-specific.