Pagoda Courtyard along the Grand Canal

This project is a reconstruction of a courtyard for Ciyun Monastery Guoshi Pagoda along the Jing-Hang Grand Canal (Huai’an Section), a UNESCO World Heritage site. Historically, many cultural and religious buildings have been situated on both sides of the Grand Canal. Among them, the area of the Ciyun Monastery is well-structured and orderly, which sits on the south bank of the canal, Guoshi Pagoda which was rebuilt in the early 21st century is at the end of the central axis.
Considering cultural heritage from the perspective of urban landscape is an effective strategy to understand value and develop design, both the canal and pagoda have multi-faceted relations of water supply, cultural atmosphere, and society.
As a result, we decided to introduce the courtyard, and divide the irregular plot through the organization of the original plane trees and the key landscape elements of the pavilion, room, and corridor, creating a harmonious atmosphere of the riverside between the courtyard and pagoda.
Ultimately, forming an open urban space that faces the canal and wharf, transformed the character of the site from a pagoda belonging to the monastery to one belonging to the people.