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MVRDV's timber hill-shaped pavilion revitalizes Chengdu viewpoint with sustainable design

architecture-design · 2026-04-20

MVRDV, a Dutch architecture firm, has finalized the Pujiang Platform, a wooden pavilion in Chengdu, China, crafted to mimic a hill and improve a scenic viewpoint. The Pujiang County Planning and Resources Bureau commissioned this project, which boasts a dome-shaped roof covered in grass and a protruding balcony, turning the area into a visitor attraction. The interior showcases a sloped ceiling and a descending floor that creates a "telescopic" effect, culminating in a 10-meter-high window. Constructed from timber to minimize embodied carbon, MVRDV emphasizes ecological respect. The pavilion offers views of Pujiang's new town and the Qionglai Mountain range, along with features like a kitchen support area, enhanced pathways, natural ventilation, a geothermal heat pump, and rainwater harvesting. This initiative follows MVRDV's Marble Arch Mound in London (2022).

Key facts

  • Pujiang Platform is a timber pavilion with a grass-covered domed roof in Chengdu, China
  • Designed by Dutch architecture studio MVRDV to resemble a hill and blend with the landscape
  • Commissioned by Pujiang County Planning and Resources Bureau
  • Features a 10-meter-tall window with sliding doors and a projecting balcony
  • Built from timber for low embodied carbon and sustainability
  • Includes a "support room" with kitchen facilities partially buried underground
  • Upgraded paths include a spiral staircase to a secondary viewpoint
  • Utilizes natural ventilation, a geothermal heat pump, and rainwater collection systems

Entities

Artists

  • Jacob van Rijs
  • Winy Maas
  • Nathalie de Vries

Institutions

  • MVRDV
  • Pujiang County Planning and Resources Bureau
  • Arch-Exist
  • Dezeen

Locations

  • Chengdu
  • China
  • Rotterdam
  • Netherlands
  • Pujiang
  • Qionglai Mountain range
  • Shanghai
  • London
  • United Kingdom

Sources