MVRDV crafts hill-shaped viewpoint in Chengdu from timber

Grass covers the domed roof of Pujiang Platform, a timber pavilion that Dutch studio MVRDV has added to an existing viewpoint in the hills of Chengdu, China.

Located in the south of the city, the pavilion was designed by MVRDV to blend in with the rolling landscape, emulating a hill that once occupied it but was flattened to create the preexisting lookout.

Pujiang Platform provides a shelter for this old viewpoint, transforming it into both a visitor destination and event space, while introducing a projecting balcony.

According to the studio, its green roof and surrounding landscape design "aims to enhance what already exists at the site", encouraging growth of native grasses, flowers, and small bushes.

"The hills of this region are truly a spectacular sight, so one of the challenges we faced was to make the most of those views while reducing the impact on the landscape," said MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs.

"By adding a hill-shaped pavilion with a green roof we not only minimise our own impact, but we recreated the hill that was there before," he continued.

Pujiang Platform overlooks the new town of Pujiang, which is currently under development in the city, as well as the Qionglai Mountain range.

The revamp of the viewpoint was commissioned by the local government agency, Pujiang County Planning and Resources Bureau.

Visitors enter the structure through a small glass facade on its southeast side.

Inside, the roof of the structure slopes upwards, while the floor slopes down, creating what MVRDV describes as a "telescopic" effect that draws "visitors to the expansive viewing window and balcony that projects out over the slope".

The window is 10 metres tall and incorporates sliding doors that lead onto the balcony.

Below the main viewing area is a "support room" which includes facilities such as a kitchen, partially buried in the ground and lined externally with stones.

Pujiang Platform's main structure is built from timber, chosen for its low embodied carbon and to align with the wider concept of creating a structure that respects the nature of the site.

"This act of preserving and respecting nature is the essence of the design, which is continued in the construction approach, using biobased materials such as wood that are more sustainable and thus have less impact on natural environments such as this one," said van Rijs.

It also hopes to encourage "greater adoption of wood in the Chinese construction industry", which the studio said remains "hesitant to adopt the material at scale".

As part of the project, MVRDV also upgraded the paths surrounding the pavilion, introducing a spiral staircase that winds up to meet a secondary viewpoint.

Natural ventilation is prioritised throughout the pavilion, while a portion of its energy requirements is met with a geothermal heat pump. Existing waterways at the site have been repurposed for rainwater collection and irrigation.

MVRDV is a Rotterdam-based architecture studio that was founded in 1991 by van Rijs, Winy Maas and Nathalie de Vries. Elsewhere in China, the studio recently completed an overhaul of a former industrial site in Shanghai to create the Gate M West Bund Dream Center.

Pujiang Platform is not the first viewpoint by MVRDV to be disguised as a hill. In 2022, it unveiled the infamous Marble Arch Mound in central London.

The project was ridiculed by critics due to what MVRDV described as a "loveless execution of our designs", prompting the project's temporary closure and the resignation of a council deputy leader.

The photography is by Arch-Exist.

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