Huateng Pig House Exhibition Hall / Leekostudio

Architects: Leekostudio
Location: Ma’an Rd, Tongxiang Shi, Jiaxing Shi, Zhejiang Sheng, China
Architect In Charge: Yikao Li
Design Team: Yikao Li, Dianxing Jia
Client: Huateng Farm
Area: 1500.0 m2
Project Year: 2016
Photographs: Yong Zhang

Keep the natural light with the lighting tube in the hog house exhibition hall
Before the design of hog house exhibition hall, we renovated facade at first. The design of pigsty is only a prelude, through this process, we understand the form of the hog house, and take a look at the high-tech hog raising of Huateng. These basics inspired us to evolve the architectural form of the exhibition hall from its basic architectural form. The exhibition hall continues the existing profile, and adds the lighting tube to keep the natural light and ventilation. At that time, the day-lighting roof was the only chance of this building. Due to cost, the skylight did not open but keep the natural light. When completed, the building stands between the sales hall and art exhibition halls.

Clever combination of water treatment system and the house design
At the first beginning, the owner introduced their high-tech hog raising since they invited Belgian experts who have been guiding pig farm construction and feed research in pig farms for a long time. Meanwhile, they had a management system to monitor the health of pigs, to isolate sick pigs, and to ensure that their pigs do not have antibiotics. Among the many high-tech technologies in pig farms, the only we can use is the water recycling system in the hall. Other ordinary pig farms directly discharge pig manure and it will pollute the environment. While the pig manure is extracted, dried, carbonized, and converted to high-quality fertilizer here, this can be sold in a relatively high price. In addition, the pig’s urine and the rinse pigsty water will get into the cycle of purification ponds, which is equipped with a variety of plants with water treatment capacity, planted according to their purifying capacity. After the purification, the water will be diverted to the exhibition hall, appearing as a water feature forms between the exhibition hall and the Wind-rain corridor.

From “the coming of the Holy Spirit” to “flying pigs”
In the design process, the owner specifically requested a flying pig logo, and there must be a main entrance. Pig can fly to heaven? Of course not if rely on humans. Neither can one be cleansed by their own good deeds, nor can pigs fly with their own wings. The Open Hand Monument created by Le Corbusier in Chandigarh is actually a pigeon, representing the Holy Spirit. Only when the Holy Spirit comes down can the human’s unclean soul is sublimated, even pigs, which regarded as unclean by many people, can fly like angels. Therefore, Le Corbusier’s pigeon in Chandigarh is the leader while the flying pig is the result of sublimation by the leader.