Atelier Xi creates cave-like pavilions for Chinese arts centre
Architecture studio Atelier Xi has completed the AYDC Public Art Centre in Guiyang, China, dividing its spaces across three sculptural stone-clad pavilions set in a landscaped park.
The art centre comprises a library, an events space and an outdoor stage for the "culture-driven experimental hub" A Yun Duo Cang (AYDC), which translates to Our Land of Dreams.
It has been shortlisted in the small project category of the Dezeen Awards 2025.
Atelier Xi's approach eschewed a large, singular building, distributing the centre across three separate cubic pavilions.
Each of these has a distinct, carved-out interior, informed by the karst caves of Guizhou province.
"Instead of a singular monumental building, the design breaks the program into a constellation of sculptural pavilions dispersed across the landscape," Atelier Xi's principal Chen Xi told Dezeen.
"This approach challenges conventional notions of centralised cultural institutions by prioritising openness, decentralisation, and environmental integration," Xi added.
"Drawing inspiration from the native karst cave formations of Guizhou province, the resulting architecture is not imposed onto the land but appears to emerge from it – blurring the line between built form and landscape."
AYDC Public Art Centre's pavilions, named the Xima Library, Ginkgo Chapel and Dali Stage, are designed to have a distinct feel and connection to the surrounding park.
Apart from the library, which features a sunken reading pit surrounded by full-height glazing, each pavilion is entirely open to the elements. According to Xi, this means the weather and seasonal changes are part of the overall "immersive experience".
The library sits beneath a large, vaulted ceiling. It has a central reading pit wrapped by a concrete terrace, which extends over a shallow pool of water, reflecting its sculptural form.
At the opposite end of the park, the chapel is formed by four bulging walls shaped like inverted arches that create an intimate, skylit events space at its centre.
For the central stage, a single arched section shelters a concrete plinth, which looks out over a paved plaza. The plaza is finished with stepped seating and terracotta tiles laid in a herringbone pattern.
Each pavilion was constructed using a steel frame, clad externally with travertine stone panels and internally with curving steel panels. In the library, the steel panels have been sandblasted for a rough finish, while they are polished in the chapel and stage to create mirrored surfaces.
AYDC Public Art Centre's paved plaza and surrounding park, designed by landscape studio So Boring Company, are finished with native planting, concrete skating bowls and areas of seating.
"Designed for reading, performance, and reflection, these spaces nurture independent artistic gatherings while seamlessly weaving architecture with local memory, natural rhythm and public life," Xi said.
"Formerly an underutilised grassy plot, the site has been ecologically uplifted with native ginkgo trees and local bushes, transforming it into a destination for recreation and cultural engagement," Xi added.
"Seasonal changes enhance the immersive experience, as the natural setting evolves in harmony with the pavilions’ distinct atmospheres."
Previous projects by Atelier Xi include a visitor centre for Qiaochengbei Park in Shenzhen, which took a similar approach of distributing facilities across a series of pavilions, and an angular library set in a Chinese tea plantation.
The photography is by Zhang Chao.
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