Pujiang Viewing Platform: A Sustainable Timber Pavilion in Chengdu’s Hills

Priyanshi ShahAugust 23, 20252 Mins read6.7k

Award-winning Rotterdam-based studio MVRDV blends unique architectural philosophy and ecological consideration in designing a captivating public Pujiang Viewing Platform. Located on the scenic slopes of Changqiu Mountain in Pujiang County, Chengdu, the burgeoning landscape offers mesmerising panoramic 360-degree views of the surrounding area. Designers foster Chengdu’s evolving park city vision in developing the layout that integrates spaces for relaxation, observation, and contemplation.

Pujiang Viewing Platform: A Hilltop Pavilion

Known for their bold and experimental design approach, MVRDV aims to craft a playful, balanced structure with a nature-centric design that blends with the context. The two notable sustainable structures were crafted carefully, following the natural terrain that grasps the experience and inspires visitors to pause and observe from their busy lives. Drawing inspiration from the living Sichuan mountainscape, the design evolved as a dramatic space for tourists and community gatherings. Covered with earth and planting, the design speaks the language of connection and belonging to the surroundings.

Architecture as Landform: Form and Spatial Experience

Pujiang Viewing Platform fosters an engaging dialogue between architecture and landscape, offering sceneries of the Qionglai Mountain range and the evolving Pujiang New Town. From the idea of a telescope, the architectural language evolved from the landform, focusing on the viewer’s gaze and constructed with a timber structure and enveloped by an earth berm, allowing the viewing platform to merge with the hills. The form of the structure, the curving, peak-like roof covered with native planting into the hilltop, merges with its environment, revealing dramatic scenery.

The interior slopes downwards, offering visitors a space to relax and enjoy the scenery. The project celebrated nature by integrating a dialogue between people, buildings, and landscape. Passing through the broad, steep pathway, the design surprises the visitors, and entering the arched volume expands the experience and provides a glimpse of the mountains outside. The platforms act as both a community space for exhibitions, events, and gatherings and a quiet place for observation. Supported by the lightweight steel structure embedded in a mountain, the 115-square-meter cantilevered balcony blends with the natural surroundings. A large pair of sliding doors (4.5 meters high and 8.4 meters wide) opens the interior to the viewing balcony.

Timber, Glass, and Earth: The Language of Materials

The highlight of the project lies in its material choice—timber. A conscious approach to choosing timber as a structural element reduces carbon emissions and represents MVRDV’s commitment to sustainability. The structure was composed of vaulted forms by repetitive timber ribs and arches that are expressive and efficient. Timber, a renewable building material, provides a tactile warmth to the visitor’s experience. The viewing hall has an open layout, enveloped by a glass facade to maximize views of the surroundings.

The earth-covered roof, a way of natural insulation, provides natural insulation and supports plantations on it. The architecture language served as ecology by adopting passive design strategies, the sponge city principle to collect and reuse rainwater and greywater, and reducing the environmental footprint. Together, these strategies underline Chengdu’s growing commitment to eco-friendly construction and distinctive circular design.

MVRDV’s Telescopic Vision: Blending with Nature

Pujiang Viewing Platform becomes a symbolic expression of Chengdu’s future-focused identity, where urban development embraces sustainability. It’s from the timber construction technique and context-sensitive design that creates a destination that is forward-looking and timeless. A multifunctional civic center fosters community engagement and provides public space, highlighting the goals of zero-carbon living.