MVRDV has completed the Pujang Platform, a 414 m² timber pavilion that serves as a viewpoint and an event space, sensitively blending with the hills south of Chengdu, China. The location is the new city of Pujiang, currently under development, and the project has replaced a simple old viewing point.

The idea was to turn this panoramic point into a desirable tourist destination and a versatile events venue. The design started from an important revelation: that the hill had been flattened during the construction of the preexisting viewing platform. MVRDV’s response was an arched pavilion, covered with earth and vegetation, that creates an echo of the lost topography while minimizing the intervention visually. The building thus echoes the hill that existed before, and merges with the landscape instead of imposing itself on it.

The design also improves the network of paths, incorporating multiple routes leading to the main observation point and a secondary viewing platform integrated into a twisting staircase. The pavilion itself is built with a timber structure, which is lightweight and has a small carbon footprint.

Inside, the floor slopes downward and the roof upward, in accordance with the natural inclinations of the hill, forming a tribune of sorts that faces a 10-meter-tall glass facade that opens by means of sliding doors onto the viewing balcony over the slope.

From an environmental angle, the green roof provides much insulation and thermal mass, reducing the effect of temperature changes. Natural ventilation, controlled orientation, a heat pump, and use of existing waterways for collecting rainwater reinforce the sustainability mission of a project where conserving and respecting nature is central.