Multifunctional Towers Transform Yibin Urban Scene

Pelli Clarke & Partners has completed a major urban development anchored by the Yibin High-Speed Railway Station in Sichuan Province, China,

introducing a new transit-oriented destination designed to reshape the city’s role in the region.

Spanning nearly nine million square feet,

the project transforms Yibin from a simple transportation hub into a vibrant mixed-use district that reflects contemporary approaches to urban planning in fast-growing Chinese cities.

The development was realized in collaboration with the Sichuan Provincial Architectural Design & Research Institute and is structured around the high-speed rail station as its central organizing element.

Eight mixed-use towers rise alongside a large public park, a digital art museum, and an integrated retail and cultural zone. Together, these components form a cohesive urban ensemble that connects transportation infrastructure with public life, leisure, and commerce.

The illuminated bamboo stalk inspired towers of the Yibin High Speed Railway Station development dominate the city skyline at dusk, showcasing their curved silhouettes and vertically articulated facades — As night falls, the eight mixed-use towers become beacons in the city,
their designs referencing both natural bamboo stalks and the elegance of traditional Chinese calligraphy.
(Image © Arch-Exist Photography)

Responding carefully to Yibin’s hilly terrain and its proximity to the Shunan Bamboo Forest, the design draws heavily on natural and cultural references. T

he overall architectural concept takes inspiration from bamboo groves and karst landscapes, translating their organic qualities into contemporary architecture. Designers arranged the circulation paths, building massing, and open spaces to echo the interconnected growth patterns of bamboo, reinforcing a sense of continuity between the built environment and the surrounding landscape.

At the heart of the district stands a cluster of eight buildings ranging from 23 to 33 stories in height. Their curved silhouettes and vertically articulated facades reference bamboo stalks while also nodding to traditional Chinese calligraphy. Designers arranged these towers around a central park that preserves the site’s original topography, weaving together pedestrian routes,

elevated walkways, and shaded green canopies to encourage walkability and outdoor activity.

Aerial rendering of a large scale mixed use development featuring green topped towers, a sprawling central park, and a futuristic transit station integrated into the landscape — This masterplan rendering illustrates the ambitious scale and
cohesive vision of the project,
connecting the high-speed rail station (top left) with a constellation of towers and public spaces organized around a central green axis. (Courtesy of Pelli Clarke & Partners)

The central park also accommodates a new digital art museum, conceived as a cultural anchor for the district. Defined by a sculptural aluminum-clad exterior and a structural mesh shell,

the museum provides expansive column-free internal spaces suitable for immersive and rotating digital exhibitions. This cultural component reinforces the project’s ambition to go beyond transit and commerce, positioning Yibin as a destination for innovation and contemporary creative expression through curated events.

The high-speed rail station itself spans approximately 505,000 square feet and was designed by the China No.2 Railway Design Institute in collaboration with the China Southwest Architectural Design Institute.

It connects Yibin to key regional cities including Chengdu, Chongqing, Guiyang, and Kunming, strengthening the city’s role within a broader network of national infrastructure.

Top down aerial view of the uniquely spiraled Digital Art Museum at the Yibin High Speed Railway Station development, connected by a glowing pedestrian bridge at night — The sculptural form of the Digital Art Museum serves as a cultural anchor for the district,
providing column-free interiors for immersive digital exhibitions and events.
(Image © Arch-Exist Photography)

The design team integrated sustainability strategies throughout the development, including fresh-air ventilation systems, daylight-optimized facades,

and living roofs.Select retail structures incorporate reconstituted bamboo as part of their building materials, reinforcing the project’s environmental narrative. These measures align the district with contemporary expectations for sustainability in large-scale urban developments.

With its integration of transit,

culture, landscape, and design,

the Yibin High-Speed Railway Station Gateway Development stands as a significant new chapter in the city’s evolution and a notable example of large-scale mixed-use development shaping the future of regional Chinese cities.

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

Layer 1 – Non-Architectural Data:

The Yibin development emerges from concentrated mobility reliance on high-speed rail, regional consumption centralization, and compressed construction timelines. Labor is structured around modular workflows, while financial models prioritize rapid ROI and minimize operational ambiguity.

Layer 2 – Decision Frameworks:

Municipal codes, procurement policies, and risk-averse insurance logic consistently favor centralized mixed-use clusters. Regulatory approvals reward visible density, green space integration, and cultural placemaking,

while operational constraints enforce pedestrian circulation patterns and limit vehicular permeability.

Layer 3 – Architectural Outcome:

The repeated clustering of eight vertically articulated buildings around a preserved topography,

integration of a central park, and aligned circulation paths are a direct consequence of these systemic conditions.

The design team embedded sustainability measures,

museum programming, and public retail nodes in response to financial, regulatory, and mobility pressures rather than as independent design intentions.