The Shu Brocade Culture Museum is Chengdu’s latest landmark. The Chinese city has been historically known as the ‘City of Brocade,’ making this new institution a vital element in its cultural identity – designed to showcase the famous fabric technique’s origins, craft and future for locals and visitors alike.

The architecture studio behind the new building, ARCHSTUDIO, is a local practice led by Han Wenqiang. It worked on transforming an existing structure – a disused agricultural machinery factory – into a 21st-century destination.

Explore the Shu Brocade Culture Museum in China

The project is situated in a dedicated park as part of a special initiative by the Sichuan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism. The broader area is titled the Shu Brocade Heritage Cultural & Creative Park and is located in the city’s Banqiao Village. It is a dedicated gesture that aims to both preserve the region’s precious heritage in the craft and promote urban revitalisation through activities that bring together exhibitions, events and educational programming. The park also includes several smaller brocade workshops, which surround the museum.

The existing buildings were derelict when the project began. The architects worked with the simple, orthogonal brick structures, from which only the walls remained, and added new roofing. At the same time, the new design aims to retain the memory and feel of the factory – the building’s original use – merging old and new. Meanwhile, the site includes a series of outdoor areas, in the form of gardens and courtyards, populated with plants traditionally used for dyeing fabrics.

Inside, the project contains spaces for temporary and permanent displays, as well as a digital archive of Shu brocade techniques – one of the most well-known, high-quality Chinese silk weaving methods.

Wood and intersecting steel beams define the interior, in particular the new roof, nodding conceptually to the shape of the brocade loom. At the same time, undulations in the facade and internal surfaces reference the elegant folds of brocade textiles. This also creates a balanced dynamism in the otherwise solid-feeling structure.

In a similar way, perforated bricks and calculated openings bring to mind brocade patterns and the soft folds of fabric. The terrazzo floor is similarly intricate, using reclaimed brick.

‘The Shu Brocade Culture Museum offers a model for industrial heritage revitalisation, the continuation of intangible cultural heritage, and rural renewal. It breathes new life into the former factory while translating Shu brocade culture into a tangible, immersive spatial experience,’ say the architects in a design statement.

‘Open to public life, the museum becomes a place where people, traditional craft and everyday life connect. Here, past and future intertwine, and tradition takes root anew in contemporary life,’ they add.