About the FRAME Awards

Launched by the renowned Dutch design publication FRAME Magazine (founded in 1997), the FRAME Awards rank among the world’s most influential spatial design honors.

As a barometer for the international design community, FRAME consistently tracks cutting-edge trends in architecture, interiors, installations, and experiential design. Its jury comprises leading designers, scholars, and media professionals from across the globe.

Each year, the FRAME Awards selects the most innovative and socially impactful design projects from thousands of outstanding submissions worldwide. Winning signifies that a project has achieved the highest international recognition for its creative expression, cultural depth, and spatial experience.

Project Background

In 2023, the Guanzhong Mangba Art Festival invited architects to participate as exhibitors for the first time. We were commissioned to renew a traditional courtyard in Caijiapo Village, Huyi District, Xi’an. Located north of the Qinling Mountains, this area has become a hub for art and rural construction practices. Since 2018, professors and students from the Experimental Art Department of the Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts, led by Mr. Wu Xiaochuan, have established the “Guanzhong Art Cooperative” here and continuously advanced the festival’s localized development.

Design Concept

The northern side of the original courtyard contained an abandoned kitchen and a dilapidated warehouse, which were prone to severe water logging in summer. Our design aimed to address these fundamental functional issues while exploring new possibilities for village renewal.

We drew inspiration from the wave-shaped tile elements of local dwellings, allowing them to flow down the sloping roof to form a curtain-like metal facade texture that responds to natural light, shadow, and the rural fabric. A circular passage at the exhibition hall entrance guides visitors deeper into the courtyard. Rotating metal mesh curtains radiate multiple lines across the pavement, serving dual functions of drainage and way finding.

The courtyard’s elevation was carefully designed to channel rainwater into a linear drainage ditch on the south side, ensuring a comfortable experience in both the exhibition hall and the courtyard. The circular passage also connects two fruit trees with the trees behind the house, forming new spatial relationships that stimulate the imagination of the rural landscape.

Materials and Construction

The perforated metal panels were prefabricated in the factory and assembled on-site within two days. The aperture size and spacing were meticulously calibrated to create three visual layers: transparency, reflection, and projection. Sunlight, the blue sky, and the brick wall interweave at different times, creating a visual experience reminiscent of flowing water.

Inside the exhibition hall, the original brick wall was opened up, and a lightweight steel frame was added to reinforce the roof. The original kitchen chimney was preserved and transformed into a skylight niche, functioning both as a display area for exhibits and a resting nook for visitors.

Project Information

Project Name: Streaming Light Exhibition Hall — Inner Courtyard Renovation for the Guanzhong Mangba Art Festival
Client: Mangba Art Festival
Curators: Wu Xiaochuan, Song Qun, Guanzhong Art Cooperative
Location: Caijiapo Village, Huyi District, Xi’an
Building Area: 37 ㎡
Site Area: 97 ㎡
Design Firm: Daipu Architects
Lead Architect: Dai Pu
Project Architect: Zhao Xinyu
Design Team: Zhao Xinyu, Huang Zhiyi, Wang Zhengqi
Structural Consultant: Yang Xiaotian / I-Structure
Photographer: Wu Qingshan
Design Period: May 2023 – September 2023
Construction Period: September 2023 – January 2024