The majestic Longmenshan Mountains and Min River lie 50 kilometers north of Chengdu,
cutting vast across the rich fields of Sichuan Province.
This created two completely different worlds: the Chengdu Plain and the Western Plateau.
The designers’ concept of the building as a platform on which to “lean among the clouds”,
here on the plateau, was derived from the elevated atmosphere of this magnificent landscape.
The view is filled with misty mountain peaks, and the ideal location offers a view of the nearby River Main.
The building was also created in the spirit of facilitating a way for visitors to realize the desire to return to nature, to their roots.
With the project located at the entrance to the Pengzhou District of Giant Panda National Park,
Archermit relied on three sides of the panda habitat as the basis for its architectural design concepts.
Bamboo forest, clouds everywhere, mountain rocks created by glacial drift,
in the creation of this platform among the clouds.
The ‘Bamboo Forest’ on the ground floor is used as a multifunctional public space,
providing an open and fully accessible ‘living room’ for many of the neighboring villages.
The Clouds and Fog on the suspended level above accommodates a cultural exhibition space;
the ‘dripping rocks’ on the upper floor serve as recreational spaces from which visitors can view the landscape.
While slender white columns from ground level form the “bamboo forest” of the clouds above,
creating a pleasant sheltered space, where visitors can gather comfortably.
A vibrant meeting place among the clouds
The lower vaulted surface is also illuminated at night, poetically by an array of LED ‘stars’.
While below, an integrated video display vividly depicts scenes of life in the neighboring villages.
The ‘floating rocks’ above the ‘clouds’ and the view in the vast surface reflecting the pond,
on the upper level, create a unique graphic effect in relation to the surrounding landscape.
The activities of the villagers also add a local flavor to this special place,
where rural life and contemporary art fuse to create a shared feeling of mountains and clouds.
A passion for life and a vibrant community culture can be found.
The famous anthropologist Fei Xiaotong once suggested that “Man has roots,
and the individual is but a branch from which he grows.
The root is the community which supplies it with the materials for growth, education, and culture:
from a family and a small village, to a big city and finally a country.
During the initial design visits, the designers were interested in integrating the building program with the four villages located within 1.5 kilometers of the site: Dawan, Taizi, Yudong and Dongping.
The purpose was for the building to provide local residents with a place to gather, chat and relax,
and through their participation convey an example of truly public architecture.
A place for dialogue between villages, city and countryside, revitalizing the area and creating a platform for new activities and exchanges.
The white columns that make up the “bamboo forest” from the ground to the underside of the dome form an open and all-encompassing multifunctional area.
With a regularly spaced structural grid of columns hidden between them.
It can be seen as a metaphor for a large tree at the entrance to a village in a bygone era,
in whose shade people gather to tell stories as they slowly sway their fans.
Enchanting clouds that take you to imagination
Whether it’s a bright or cloudy day, a “starry sky” is designed for Longmenshan no matter the weather.
The large, deep dome on the lower side of the upper level is transformed into a poetic world of stars at night, through the integrated lighting design.
The total surface of the dome is further divided into approximately 2,600 separate aluminum panels,
each uniquely curved by a border design.
reclining among the clouds
Randomly distributed with three different sizes of slots, each interior slot recess is equipped with LED lighting fixtures at specific angles.
To illuminate the sides of the openings, in order to create a realistic picture of the starry sky above.
In addition, dynamic star simulation has been implemented at the main entrance and sunken plaza,
creating with the main ‘starry sky’ a stunning contrast between visible and hidden, and a powerful dream-like atmosphere at night.
Landscape in the clouds
Visitors ascending the long staircase under the stars and into the clouds lead visitors to an unexpected space on the first floor,
where an immersive multimedia experience unfolds around the landscape constantly.
A ceiling recess formed by sweeping curves provides light, guiding people through space,
while water image projections create the illusion of an immaterial floor.
A series of slender and over-the-top, curved pping benches open onto the projection wall,
displaying in motion pictures the natural diversity of Longmenshan Mountains: rock formations, soil, moss, shrubs, trees, flowers, fruits, and animals.
These elements are given shape in the adjacent space in the form of light and shadow,
where metaphorical water is captured in a series of subtly undulating reflective panels, reproducing the surface of a bubbling stream.
Here, the colors of the local landscape are reflected as visitors wander the space,
immersed in the light of the river valley and surrounded by the sounds of insects and birds.
life among the clouds
Water and sky come together at the heart of the building,
and a river valley rock is suspended there to remind the secret landscape of mountains and the habitat of wild pandas beyond.
تتساقط ستارة خفيفة من الماء من السقف لإضفاء الحيوية على المساحة ، بينما يضيف صوت القطرات بُعدًا إضافيًا إلى الغلاف الجوي.
كما أن السيقان “الخيزران” في منطقة الصالة تخلق أيضًا إحساسًا بالألفة مع تعزيز استعارة المناظر الطبيعية للمبنى.
أخيرًا ، يوفر شكل الباندا الأبيض والأسود والتلوين نوعًا من القوالب لتصميم الأثاث والمساحة الداخلية.
سيشاهد الزوار الذين يصعدون الدرج الحلزوني إلى الطابق الثالث من المبنى أفاريزًا دائرية كبيرة وأعمدة تؤطر منظرًا للمناظر الطبيعية.
يعكس حوض السباحة الموجود على السطح في المقدمة جبال Longmenshan البعيدة والسماء أعلاه ،
كما لو كان يجلب لفافة طويلة من رسم المناظر الطبيعية الصينية التقليدية إلى الحياة.
الجبال والمياه فوق السحاب
يسقط الماء من الغيوم إلى الأرض ، ويتبخر في النهاية ويعود إلى السماء ،
تصبح الغيوم مرة أخرى.
صمم Archermit سطح المبنى بناءً على الدورة الطبيعية لنهر ماين.
البركة العاكسة على السطح هي استعارة لبحيرة جبلية تسقط في واد وتملأ السطح.
ثم يجد الماء طريقه عبر الفجوات في المبنى ،
يتحول إلى مجرى جيد وينسكب في الأرض المنخفضة.
تتعرج عبر غابة الخيزران السرية أدناه ،
وأخيراً تعود إلى سطح الماء على السطح عبر شبكة دوران المياه المخفية في غابة الخيزران.
“الجبل” على الغيوم هو استعارة للجليد والثلج فوق زنزانة Longmenshan ،
وكذلك “الحصى العائمة” لنهر مين.
سطحان أبيضان يطفوان فوق البركة الضحلة في المستوى العلوي ،
وتبدو مثل صخرتين بارزتين من الماء ، تذكرنا نعومتها باليشم المقطوع بالتيار.
أثناء رؤيتها من مسافة بعيدة ، تتخذ شكل قمم الجبال المغطاة بالثلوج والتي تبرز فوق الغيوم.
لا يشير مصطلح “المناظر الطبيعية” في الثقافة الصينية إلى المناظر الطبيعية فحسب ،
ولكن أيضًا إلى الطبيعة التي تُشتق منها جميع الكائنات الحية ، وتمثل الموطن الروحي للعلماء القدماء.
سحر الطبيعة الجبلية
من أجل دمج المبنى في المناظر الطبيعية المحيطة به ،
نعتقد أن الأمر لا يتعلق فقط بتأطير آراء المناطق المحيطة ، ولكنه أمر مهم حيث يمكننا إعطاء شيء ذي قيمة للسكان المحليين.
أولئك الذين يعيشون على الجبال والمياه: لخلق روح المكان الذي يتماشى مع المناظر الطبيعية المحلية ،
مبنى له روابط عاطفية وجسدية مع الأشخاص الذين يعيشون هناك.
The “platform among the clouds” not only symbolizes and replicates the natural environment of the western plateau,
but also creates a spiritual landscape closely associated with the local villagers.
What creates a poetic field that elevates the best aspects of this wonderful land,
thus opening a new era of discovery for visitors of all kinds.
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