The Design Patterns of Administrative Building: Precedent Studies and Designing Fenggang Administrative Center

Abstract

As the space closely related to a country’s political system and its administration, administrative buildings reflect the interaction between country, society and citizens from ancient times. What is the relationship between ideologies and the design of administrative buildings? What are the design patterns of administrative buildings? How to design a good administrative building in today’s China? Based on the above questions, the thesis consists of two major parts. The first part focuses on Western administrative buildings: the historical evolution and the contemporary trends have been studied and analyzed. Through typology studies, the design patterns are summarized at three levels: macro level—three types of building location of administrative building in the city; meso level—four forms of square space; micro level—the architectural design influenced by three main factors. The second part of the thesis focuses on the implications in China. It starts with the current issues of administrative buildings in China, followed by the study of vernacular architecture and yamen buildings in Guizhou, and as the result, a scheme for Fenggang Administrative Center has been proposed to illustrate a new set of design strategies. The research attributes great importance to the urban features of administrative buildings, and tries to establish an open frame for the design patterns of administrative buildings, not only for historical studies but also for future designs. By the research and the design, the thesis makes a statement that administrative buildings built with a more appropriate scale, more public presence and more cultural identities are needed for the emerging civil society.