International Architecture Awards Tell a friend

Architects: Yuangou Architects & Consultants Ltd.
General Contractor: China Shanghai Architectural Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd.
Client: Li Gang
Photographers: Zhiyi Architectural Photography

Baoshan Temple, the former palace of King Brahma —established during the period of Emperor Zhengde in the Ming Dynasty— is situated in Luodian Town, Shanghai, which belonged to regions south of the Yangtze River in ancient times, and has a history of over 500 years. 

With time passing, the original palace was revived and abandoned many times. With the execution of the plan of one city + nine towns in Shanghai and the start of the renovation of Luodian Old Town, Baoshan Temple is reconstructed in the land near its original location with a site area of 3.3 acres. 

The overall design presents a palace style of the late Tang dynasty. Pure tenon-and-mortise structure in Africa Padauk is carefully sculptured to embody its grandness. The first and second courtyards are for external Buddha worships, while the third one is for living and management use. A 20,000 sqm Zen garden is provided on the east. 

New Baoshan Temple, palace site, and Garden form a new landscape belt with Buddhist culture at its core. The overall layout of “seven halls” is adopted here. Heavenly King Hall, Buddha Hall, Buddhist Scripture Library, and Dharma abbot room are built along the central axis in order, while the courtyard is connected by a winding corridor. 

The Temple is the largest pure wooden building complex of Tang style in East China. The traditional wooden structure technique and further creative extension have been selected for The Sixth batch of Shanghai Intangible Cultural Heritage Representative Project List and Expansion Project List. 

Architectural design takes to “Construction of French style” according to the materials and building codes of the Song Dynasty and the still-practiced timber structure approach of the Tang Dynasty, such as modulus, detail nodes, and materials. 

Not only the traditional construction process is preserved, but also a new construction approach for timber structures and ancient buildings is explored to ensure the smooth completion of Baoshan Temple. 

The new Baoshan Temple provides a prayer and worship space for Buddhism believers, which is the destination for Buddhists at home and abroad to communicate with each other. The Golden Pagoda is in the style of the late Tang Dynasty. The plan is square, with three rooms both wide and deep. 

The seven-story wooden pagoda is made of pure wood of African rosewood. In the design process, architects positioned BIM realization goals in “3D design, Revit model drawing, auxiliary component preprocessing and component installation guidance.” 

The height of the Golden Pagoda is composed of a foundation, main tower, and rooftop. Each floor is composed of useful height and structural height. Architects use 1050mm as module A. The main and structural heights of the 2-6 floors are 3A/2A, for the 7th floor 3A/1A, and the tower and roof’s are 2A.