Italian architectural practise, Archea Associati, has created a ceramic museum in Liling, China, comprised of a number of vase-like structures.

Set for completion later this year, the volumes are arranged in a circular plan and clad in a variety of patterns and colours.

The architects say the inspiration was the city’s ceramic heritage and the client’s wish to include various functions on the site, including a museum, a hotel and an industrial area for ceramics processing.

“The vase shape delineates sinuous contours, with no sharp edges, always concave and convex,” said the architects. “The space between takes substance in a line of vases that follow a commutative rule, shifting without changing the final result, which is always ensured by the juxtaposition of the vases’ generative contours.”

The internal programme is fluid, with an abundance of internal floor space.