In today’s Projects of the Week digest, water, wind, topography and local traditions become the starting points for architectural solutions—and each project demonstrates its own way of responding to its context.
One of the world’s largest new natural history museums, with an area of more than 100,000 m², is located between the city and Yanzi Lake. Its fluid form is inspired by the movement of water and seems to continue the contours of the surrounding park. The green roof has been transformed into a public walking route with terraces and views over the lake.
The 3,000 m² exhibition pavilion serves as an information center for Chengdu’s emerging science and technology district and aims to become its architectural symbol. The building is wrapped in a complex shell of faceted metal panels, causing the facade to constantly change depending on the viewer’s angle and the lighting conditions.
The new public pier combines working infrastructure for fishermen with spaces for meetings, relaxation and prayer. Local bamboo was chosen as the main material, while the entire structure was raised above the water on a steel platform. The project supports the traditional way of life of the fishing community while also creating conditions for the river ecosystem to recover: the current flows freely beneath the platform, while bamboo and stones create new habitats for aquatic organisms. A similar approach to a man-made ecosystem can be seen in Rotterdam ROCKS! by MVRDV, the winner of the poll in the tenth issue of the Projects of the Week digest.
Three Metres Above Antarctica
Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station | Kuryłowicz + Architekci | King George Island, Antarctica
The new building of the Polish Antarctic station is raised approximately three metres above the ground on steel supports, allowing wind to carry snow and ice freely beneath it. Three wings extend from a central point, while the cross-section works like an inverted aircraft wing: the airflow presses the structure down against the ground. The station is assembled from modules designed for transportation by sea and rapid installation during the short Antarctic summer. We previously explored architecture in extreme climates in an article about The Whale complex by Dorte Mandrup.
The Hotel Begins at the Gate
The Order Hotel and Residences | Arch (e)type | Jimbaran, Bali, Indonesia
The approximately 20,000 m² complex is organized around a sequence of courtyards and a ceremonial axis inspired by the traditional Balinese split gates known as candi bentar. From the public spaces, the route gradually leads to private areas through shaded passages, gardens and inner courtyards. The motif of the split gate is repeated in the building’s volumes and facades. While candi bentar defines the character of this project, we explored another tradition of symbolic gates—the Japanese torii—in a separate article.
The 21 m² public pavilion beside Feltham Green received its distinctive silhouette from three wooden conical roofs of different heights. The roof plays a similar role in the O-day'min Park Pavilion, which we recently covered in a separate article. The building was constructed without concrete or steel: it is based on a compacted gravel foundation and a timber structure, while the gabions are filled with various materials collected by local residents.