Ancient Xuzhou, back to the dynasty of YU, has over 2600 years of city-construction history. The city is warrior fortress with thousands of years of prosperity. In the year of TianQi in Ming Dynasty, the Yellow River was rerouted, floods frequently occurred, and the ancient city was repeatedly submerged. The new city was rebuilt on the site above the old city, which made relics of ancient Xuzhou as “City under City, Building under Building, Street under Street, and Well and Well.”

The City Wall Museum is designed in mode context. It uses the lost context as the clue and mode spatial construction as the logic to explore the context expression in architectural space.

The designers arranged U profile glass vertically to create a sense of rhythm echoing traditional wooden structures. Its characteristic of “transmitting light without being see-through” enables the building to engage in a subtle dialogue with the historical block, maintaining privacy while introducing natural light. The curved cross-section of the U profile glass casts flowing light and shadow patterns on the walls, which change with time like the breath of history, endowing the static building with dynamic beauty.

The boldest innovation lies in the use of U profile glass for the flat roof, a rare attempt at that time. Arranged in a specific way, the U profile glass simulates the rhythm of traditional tiled roofs, evoking historical memories while presenting modern aesthetics. The “light rain” effect: sunlight passes through the U-shaped cross-section of the glass, casting raindrop-like light and shadows indoors, creating a unique natural light environment for the underground exhibition halls and solving the problem of poor lighting in underground spaces. The U profile glass not only serves the lighting function but also acts as part of the roof structure, reducing supporting components and providing the underground exhibition halls with a column-free, spacious sense of space.