Büro Ziyu Zhuang creates UFO-shaped gallery in grassland in Inner Mongolia

Chinese architecture studio Büro Ziyu Zhuang has created Prairie Ark, a public gallery resembling a flying saucer that has touched down on grassland in Inner Mongolia, accompanied by a viewing tower.

Located on the shores of Laoli Lake in the Ulanqab Grassland, 160 kilometres west of Beijing, the Prairie Ark gallery evokes a flying saucer that has crash-landed on the grassland.

The futuristic design is intended to help people escape their familiar urban life and fully immerse themselves in the vast landscape.

"To build a new structure here certainly calls for a contextual atmosphere and a narrative," said Ziyu Zhuang, founder and principal architect at Büro Ziyu Zhuang.

"But we must not simply repeat clichéd grassland symbols such as yurts, nomadism, or Genghis Khan, nor label it with superficial cultural tags," he continued.

"Its desolation and sense of detachment from modern society allow it, instead, to embrace a more ultimate form of 'civilisation'."

Prairie Ark's sloping roof directly connects to and extends along the terrain, submerged into the landscape at one end, while maintaining an upward gesture towards the sky at the other.

Visitors can access the building via a series of openings in the basement and the ground floor, which are both designed to integrate with the landscape.

People are also encouraged to walk directly from the grassland onto the terraced roof, where an opening at the top end leads them inside the building.

The studio said this creates interaction between internal and external spaces.

"I envision the entrance as a natural incision of the site, rather than a deliberate boundary defined by architecture," said Zhuang.

"It evokes the vibe of the spaceship embedded in the mountains in the movie Prometheus. The act of entering becomes a dialogue with the land, instead of a deliberate visit to a building," he added.

Inside, the building is designed to accommodate various public functions, including art exhibitions, conferences and brand events, as well as casual community gatherings.

A layered grid ceiling with skylights invites natural light deep into the interiors. A multifunctional space on the ground floor is free of partitions, ensuring it is filled with natural light during daytime.

Alongside Prairie Ark, Büro Ziyu Zhuang also designed the Nomads' Beacon Tower, erected at the east shore of Laolihai Lake, offering a vertical viewpoint.

Informed by the imagery of rising beacon smoke, it also evokes the visual connection with the beacon towers of the Great Wall.

One access route to the tower takes visitors across the lake to a small outdoor amphitheatre. Stairs encircling a central chimney lead them to the terraced roof.

The sloping roof outline optimises views towards the lake and the vast grassland.

The only access route to the tower is often submerged under the lake when the water rises in summer, turning the building into a solitary monument.

Büro Ziyu Zhuang was founded by Zhuang in 2016. Previously, the studio has created an observatory in China that resembles an alien spaceship, as well as a church with an abstract exterior formed from white-metal fins.

The photography is by Shengliang Su.

Project credits:

Floor area: 1360m²
Architectural and interior design: BUZZ | Büro Ziyu Zhuang
Principal designer: Ziyu Zhuang, Na Li, Zhongqi Ren, Fabian Wieser
Design team: Architecture-Mengzhao Xing, Mengdi Wu, Xuantong Qiao; Interior-Zhendong Chen, Yue Liu, Chengqian Cao, Pengji Zhu
Construction drawings: Shanghai RusiFu Architectural Design Co., Ltd.
Construction: Beijing Shunxin Construction
Interior construction drawings: Beijing Potential Space Architectural Design Co., Ltd.
Landscape design: BUZZ | Büro Ziyu Zhuang
Structure consultant: Hejie Architectural Consultant
Lighting consultant: KHD Lighting Design
Drawings and diagrams: Mengzhao Xing, Zhongqi Ren, Yahan Xu, Jiaxin He, Han Yu
Client: Xinghe County Laolihai Tourism Professional Cooperative
Public welfare support: Hyundai Motor China, China Foundation for Rural Development

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