WIT design & research revives historic home as museum in china

dong fureng house museum: commemorating the economist

WIT Design & Research revives a run-down listed building in Ningbo, China, which was previously home to esteemed master of economics Dong Fureng, into a museum that pays homage to his academic achievements. When designing the Dong Fureng House Museum the team adopted a multidimensional approach to reflect the figure’s vast influence as an economist, businessman, scholar and teacher, infusing the space with a rich narrative that educates and inspires future generations.

To begin with, the crumbling brick–wood structure was renovated into a minimalist memorial space fusing traditional and contemporary design elements emblematic of Eastern and Western influence. Then throughout, exhibits ranging from showcases of artifacts, to recreations of the Fureng’s original salon, to laser projection displays, take visitors through Fureng’s life and accomplishments. Dedicated to education and growth, the space is also used to host various academic forums and conferences.

images courtesy Tantan Lei, TOPIA and One Thousand Degree Image

WIT Design & Research unveils historic narratives

The conception of this project was commissioned by the Dong Fureng Foundation, led by Dongsheng Chen, a student of the prolific economist. His former residence, with blue tiles and mottled white walls, sits quietly along Ningbo’s historic cement road as an elegantly timeless stamp among a surrounding streetscape of high-rise buildings.

Inside the space, visitors are met with a small courtyard framed by white and a sculpture of Dong Fureng sitting and reading behind a bamboo thicket. On a screen, words shaped as sea waves relate the site’s historical background and the trend of economic thought. Quiet and meditative, the lobby is defined by a minimal spatial language that engenders a narrative aesthetic. WIT Design & Research illuminates the space with lighting design by PROL in a display which uses hidden diffused lighting to invite exploration through the active interplay of light and thought. This distinct use of light evokes a vicarious emotional resonance in visitors, while awakening individual memories.

In the south corridor unfolds the story of Dong Fureng’s life, told through his surviving artifacts and cultural relics displayed in simple camphorwood exhibition frames. Elsewhere and throughout, the design team integrates light-emitting boxes to store photos and manuscripts that have been curated and preserved by 64 doctoral students.

fusing western and eastern influence

Moving further ahead, the design of the arched gallery leading to the communication area on the second floor draws on classical arches of Western architecture while echoing the traditional forms of Chinese architecture. This fusion symbolizes Dong Fureng’s Western educational background, followed by his 20th-century economic and academic achievements in China.

The museum’s second floor is themed as an academic forum, unfolding before the central installation titled ‘The Grade of Dripping Water’. Under the beam, the thoughtful words of Fureng and his students hang as an emblem suffusing the forum with their powerful meaning. In the study and salon, WIT Design & Research recreates the original atmosphere of the economist’s former office, enhanced by the integration of some of its original furniture. Two old armchairs from the office were brought over, cleaned and restored along with several other items which are displayed throughout the exhibit. ‘Here, a sincere warmth replaces solemnity, inviting people to forget the intervening century, transforming scenery into sentiment, deploying objects as clear notes in the indescribable rhythm of emotions.’

In order to minimize structural damage and ensure structural longevity, the first floor of the listed building has been elevated by a light yet sturdy and historically accurate, nail-free timber structure. Making the structure moisture proof and concealing the piping. The elevated structure can also be removed in the future and original floor renovated.

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project info:

name: The Dong Fureng House Museum

location: Ningbo, China

client: Taikang Insurance Group & Dong Fureng Foundation
architecture: WIT Design & Research

leading designer: Zhenhua Luo

design team: Gongpu Zhao, Yanli Zhang, Rui Tao, Qianxuan Niu, Xiuwen Xiao, Liang Zhao, Yongcheng Xia，Wenyi Chen
lighting design: PROL

foundation project management team: Yanfei Tang, Yuan He

taikang management team: Bin Tang, Shuang Sun, Shanshan Sun, Xiaofu Gao

project planning: Le Brand Strategy Agency

original copywriting: NARJEELING

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edited by: ravail khan | designboom