While going about my work, I was asking myself about those huge structures that one can find quite easily in ShàngHǎi: huge buildings flanked with huge porches that were only worth huge voids for agoraphobics to me: nothing that thrills me enough to stay and enjoy the place...

Hence my travel’s notebook just got pictured with a picture of a monumental building, made of a really light and particularly dense structure as a contradiction to those mololithic buildings.

A few months after, I heard about an opened bid for design scheme of the China pavilion being published. Good idea. I took the chance to have fun and see if it was possible to push the concept to its endings (PDF document in English and simplified Chinese; 28,1 Mo.).

Some constraints were set by the official document (DOC document):

1. Better city, better life;
2. Iconic scheme;
3. Chinese culture references;
4. Use of the pavilion during and after the Exhibition;
5. Original creation with no previous publication.

Chinese culture references

(back to the list of contraints)

China is above all the most populated country in the world; a country that is supported by its population (in a commercial and cultural way, at least).

Each individual follows his own path:

• Some go straight to the point;
• Some hesitate, got mistaken, change their direction;
• Some follow the same path;
• Some die prematurely.

All those path differences can be expressed by the structure and by this means, generate a warped surface as an envelope, a container, China which rally Chinese people.

Chinese territorial development

China is following a territorial development plan establish about twenty years ago; its goal is to consolidate economic presence on the East coast then developping inland, which is actually being done in 重庆 (ChóngQìng) which has been promoted autonomous region in 1997.

This territorial development leads to a demographic explosion of some cities in China:

1. 上海 (ShàngHǎi)
2. 北京 (BěiJīng)
3. 重庆 (ChóngQìng)
4. 广州 (GuǎngZhōu)

The idea of giving four doors to the building matching each one of those cities allowd each façade to be given an identity alongside with the building’s orientation, despite its non regular shape.

Our goal is to express each city’s demographic differences onto the building to get more dynamism out of it; the envelope’s changing height takes this demography into account, hence opening the building to the South.

Better city, better life

(back to the list of contraints)

This catchphrase is ShangHai’s International Exhibitions’ 65^th edition; how to build better to live better.

The city life is following its inhabitants’ way of living (present and future). We can then look at this city as a living body, see its districts as organs, its streets as veins, its gardens as lungs and its activities areas (business or entertainment) as heart...

Since a body absorbs energy for further use, the idea is to give the surrounding envelope the ability to capture energy in its environment, and use it later; solar energy, geothermic, wind, water treatment...

solar energy

As researches are being made on flexible photovoltaic materials, it become possible to use solar collectors in various situations. The envelope would be partially covered by such solar collectors.

Opening the building to the South by following demographic data from 重庆 (ChóngQìng) and 广州 (GuǎngZhōu) allows more sunniness into pavilion’s heart, and offers a larger shady area for the car park behind the envelope, North side.

wood

The massive use of wood structure allows a better stability in fire conditions, hence a better public security, in addition to its warm finish. Furthermore, its ecological balance being higher than concrete or steel, its use is obviously part of the pavilion’s schedule.

Each province-unit’s structures are made of GluLam; pavilion’s envelope is flexible at will to meet the needs of each province. This allows cost’s reduction due to the use of materials with the same dimensions, but doesn’t prevent those elements to have a really different appearance.

Iconic scheme

(back to the list of contraints)

The Chinese garden

It behaves with districts’ organization; a city in the city. It’s picturing an opened urbanism to everyone, in a more accessible way.

This order is represented by province’s organization inside the pavilion as a set of boxes. The project makes use of the BāGuà. Each set of boxes is built around a theme based on natural elements.

Wind and water

The BāGuà is a source of inspiration for many Chinese concepts like FēngShuǐ, which rules itself the organization of good numbers of housing, buildings, gardens and cities in China or abroad.

use of the pavilion during and after the Exhibition

(back to the list of contraints)

All the boxes can be rehabilitated into a complex of offices, conference rooms and exhibitions; in addition, they add lookouts over southern Pǔxī.

Having a radial then vertical organization of modules allows to organize various events simultaneously (8 accesses with the following tree-like organization).

The inside space is opened to public and keep its garden status, joining the metro and ShàngHǎi’s MagLev.

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, too many concepts have been propelled into this project. Any lesson is good to be teached and this experience was worth it, from a human point of view but also from a cultural one, even if the project still lacks a bit of presence in my opinion.

Staff

王晓雯

相关规范 设计说明及翻译

researches, Chinese nomenclature and references, translations

王建

效果图制作 文本制作

perspectives, panels

黄灵杰

分析图 效果图制作 文本制作

researches, perspectives, panels

程峰

文本制作

panels

陈斌

文本制作

panels

myself

方案主创,方案绘制, 分析图 设计说明 形体设计

main concept, model of scheme, illustrations, analysis, panels