MVRDV Pujiang Platform, Pujiang, China
Credit Arch-Exist
An arched timber pavilion covered with earth, situated among the hills south of Chengdu, designed to maximize the views while minimizing landscape impact.
Perched among the hills of Chengdu, China, Pujiang Platform is an arched, earth-covered timber pavilion that functions as both a visitor attraction and an event space to showcase the stunning natural beauty of central China. Designed to blend into nature while also standing out as a beacon when viewed from the plains below, the structure features earth-covered timber arches that form a telescoping shape, drawing visitors to the large viewing window and balcony that extend over the slope.
MVRDV Pujiang Platform, Pujiang, China
Credit Arch-Exist
MVRDV Pujiang Platform, Pujiang, China
Credit Arch-Exist
MVRDV’s design originated from the discovery that the hill was flattened during the construction of the existing viewing platform. By creating an arched pavilion covered with an earth berm that integrates into the landscape, the design echoes the original hill. It also improves the path network by adding multiple routes to the viewpoint, including a secondary viewing platform built into a twisting staircase structure.
The pavilion itself is constructed with a timber framework, serving as a demonstration to promote wider use of wood in the Chinese construction industry; although wood helps reduce carbon emissions, Chinese regulations and the industry remain hesitant to adopt the material widely.
MVRDV Pujiang Platform, Pujiang, China
Credit Arch-Exist
MVRDV Pujiang Platform, Pujiang, China
Credit Arch-Exist
The pavilion is accessed through a small glass façade embedded into the earth berm on the building’s southeast side. Inside, the roof rises while the floor slopes downward, following the hill’s incline. This slope creates a tribune ideal for presentations or simply sitting to enjoy the landscape through the 10-meter-tall glass façade at the opposite end.
This façade features a pair of oversized sliding doors that open the interior to the viewing balcony outside, enhancing the connection between indoors and outdoors and allowing the balcony to serve as an extension of the indoor space when needed.
MVRDV Pujiang Platform, Pujiang, China
Credit Arch-Exist
MVRDV Pujiang Platform, Pujiang, China
Credit Arch-Exist
The landscape design of the project aims to enhance what already exists on the site. The plants reflect the site’s current biodiversity – including on the earth berm over the pavilion’s roof, which, with a soil depth of 10 centimeters, can host a wide variety of grasses, flowers, and small bushes. Meanwhile, existing waterways are used for rainwater collection and irrigation.
MVRDV Pujiang Platform, Pujiang, China
Credit Arch-Exist
MVRDV Pujiang Platform, Pujiang, China
Credit Arch-Exist
The design incorporates the site’s existing pathways, adding a staircase to connect them into a loop. Atop the staircase is the circular secondary viewing platform, offering 360-degree views of both the distant mountains and the nearby natural environment.
MVRDV Pujiang Platform, Pujiang, China
Credit Arch-Exist
Along with the project’s wood structure, which helps keep its embodied carbon emissions low, the design uses different strategies to cut operational emissions. The earth berm and greenery offer substantial insulation and thermal mass, helping to moderate temperature changes, while the ceiling is layered to enable natural ventilation for cooling.
Solar gain is minimized by the north-facing large window, and the roof overhang, along with surrounding trees, shield the smaller entrance wall from direct sunlight. Additionally, a part of the pavilion’s energy needs is supplied by a geothermal heat pump.
MVRDV Pujiang Platform, Pujiang, China
Credit Arch-Exist
MVRDV Pujiang Platform, Pujiang, China
Credit Arch-Exist
The eco-friendly features ensure the Pujiang Platform reflects the identity of the emerging sustainable town at the foot of the hill. Visitors, both locals and tourists, see a display of sustainable architecture that blends naturally into its surroundings. At night, the light shining from its windows makes it a beacon in the hills, easily seen from the plains below.
MVRDV Pujiang Platform, Pujiang, China
Credit Arch-Exist
MVRDV Pujiang Platform, Pujiang, China
Credit Arch-Exist
“The hills of this region are truly a spectacular sight, so one of the challenges we faced was to make the most of those views while reducing the impact on the landscape,” says MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs. “By adding a hill-shaped pavilion with a green roof, we not only minimize our own impact, but we recreated the hill that was there before. This act of preserving and respecting nature is the essence of the design, which is continued in the construction approach, using bio-based materials such as wood that are more sustainable and thus have less impact on natural environments like this one.”
