Studio Zhu-Pei complete gravity-defying garden in Chinese sculpture park
– Zhu Pei
Chinese architecture practice Studio Zhu-Pei have completed work on a ‘hovering’ garden installation in a Chinese sculpture park, which allows visitors to wander the grounds over, under and around huge stacks of plants and flowers.
New images of the project, called Yi Garden II, reveal how an abandoned two-storey concrete frame has been used as the foundation for a seemingly gravity-defying arrangement of greenery in the grounds of Quanzhou National Art Park in the province of Fujian.
Different floral arrangements have been organised into piles of cubes and spread across the park. Gaps in the framework create the illusion that parts of the garden are floating above the ground.
Users of the public space are encouraged to drink tea, enjoy exhibited work by famous artists and rest under the shade of the sculptural forms.
“I tried to interpret a traditional Chinese garden for this contemporary world,” studio founder Zhu Pei told CLADglobal.
“Over time, the landscape will continue to grow, transforming what was a small structure into an increasingly interesting, alive place where people can walk, drink tea, or relax and socialise after work.
“Most of the time in this region it is extremely hot. Walking in this landscape, you feel much cooler because of the micro-climate.
“I tried to recreate the experience of welcoming people to your own garden. So while the frame is very small, it offers different hidden experiences. You can walk through green tunnels, up stairs, onto terraces, under shaded roofs, into pavilions. The people there have embraced it.”
Studio Zhu-Pei are best known for their cultural buildings in China – including the OCT Design Museum in Shenzen, the forthcoming Yang Liping Performing Arts Center in the city of Dali and the Jingdezhen Imperial Kiln Museum in Jiangxi province.
Studio Pei-Zhu China Quanzhou National Art Park Fujian landscape designStudio Pei-Zhu design Chinese pottery museum shaped like a giant brick kiln
Chinese theatre reflects mountainous backdrop with vast walkable rooftop
Chinese arts space to feature hovering flower garden
Europe's premier Evian Spa unveiled at Hôtel Royal in France
Clinique La Prairie unveils health resort in China after two-year project
GoCo Health Innovation City in Sweden plans to lead the world in delivering wellness and new science
Four Seasons announces luxury wellness resort and residences at Amaala
Aman sister brand Janu debuts in Tokyo with four-floor urban wellness retreat
€38m geothermal spa and leisure centre to revitalise Croatian city of Bjelovar
Two Santani eco-friendly wellness resorts coming to Oman, partnered with Omran Group
Kerzner shows confidence in its Siro wellness hotel concept, revealing plans to open 100
Ritz-Carlton, Portland unveils skyline spa inspired by unfolding petals of a rose
Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners are just one of the names behind The Emory hotel London and Surrenne private members club
Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AUS$11.7m sister site in Australian outback
IWBI creates WELL for residential programme to inspire healthy living environments
Conrad Orlando unveils water-inspired spa oasis amid billion-dollar Evermore Resort complex
Studio A+ realises striking urban hot springs retreat in China's Shanxi Province
Populous reveals plans for major e-sports arena in Saudi Arabia
Wake The Tiger launches new 1,000sq m expansion
Othership CEO envisions its urban bathhouses in every city in North America
Merlin teams up with Hasbro and Lego to create Peppa Pig experiences
SHA Wellness unveils highly-anticipated Mexico outpost
One&Only One Za’abeel opens in Dubai featuring striking design by Nikken Sekkei
Luxury spa hotel, Calcot Manor, creates new Grain Store health club
'World's largest' indoor ski centre by 10 Design slated to open in 2025
Murrayshall Country Estate awarded planning permission for multi-million-pound spa and leisure centre
Aman's Janu hotel by Pelli Clarke & Partners will have 4,000sq m of wellness space
Therme Group confirms Incheon Golden Harbor location for South Korean wellbeing resort
Universal Studios eyes the UK for first European resort
King of Bhutan unveils masterplan for Mindfulness City, designed by BIG, Arup and Cistri
Rural locations are the next frontier for expansion for the health club sector
Tonik Associates designs new suburban model for high-end Third Space health and wellness club
Aman sister brand Janu launching in Tokyo in 2024 with design by Denniston's Jean-Michel Gathy
Ben Channon has written Happy by Design, a new book about how architecture affects our mental health. He explains how we can all be happier at home
Designing an eco hotel for the Galapagos Islands that allowed the stunning natural surroundings to take centre stage while minimising its impact on the land presented its own unique set of challenges, Ecuadorian architect Humberto Plaza tells Kathryn Hudson
BrunelloCucinelli has madehisfortune from cashmere and has used hiswealthto restoreandrevive theItalian hamlet he callshome. Wefindout more