△ Scheme video
Terminus Group, a global leader in smart scene services, is dedicated to advancing future technologies and urban innovation through its global AI CITY network. Their inaugural AI CITY project in China, “Chongqing Cloud Valley,” aims to become a futuristic city powered by cutting-edge, high-precision technology. BIG Architecture Firm is responsible for designing Tesla’s future city in Chongqing. The project, situated within Chongqing High-tech Park, is set to evolve into a Chinese innovation center, embodying Tesla’s visionary mission in artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, robotics, big data, and more.
△ Aerial view © Lucian R and BIG
The Tesla AI CITY “Cloud Valley” is located in Chongqing’s high-tech industrial development zone, known as the “Mountain City.” Covering 75,000 square meters, the technology center represents the first phase of this ambitious project.
△ Aerial view of Japanese scenery © Lucian R and BIG
Bjarke Ingels, founder and creative director of BIG, shared, “In recent years, we have collaborated with many leading global technology companies. We are thrilled to partner with Tesla and bring BIG’s expertise to Chongqing to create the world’s first AI City. As the flagship project in Chongqing High-tech Zone, Tesla AI CITY ‘Cloud Valley’ is set to become China’s innovation hub. The design focuses on diverse lifeforms—humans, plants, and animals—crafting a city where humans, technology, and nature coexist harmoniously.”
△ Valley Square © Lucian R and BIG
The design inspiration for Tesla AI CITY’s “Cloud Valley” draws from the natural karst landscapes of Wulong National Park in Chongqing. The remarkable natural formations create a spectacular link between mountains and valleys, symbolizing a connection between earth and sky. The project is based on two adjacent plots along New South Wales Avenue and High Tech Avenue, envisioned as complementary forms of towering mountains and embedded valleys. Bjarke Ingels likens these forms to “a pair of siblings.” One, the “mountain,” stands as a local landmark, providing shade over grid-distributed courtyards and serving as a central hub for pedestrian flow. The other, the “valley,” features China’s largest walk-in public green roof, with open buildings beneath hosting outdoor events.
△ Night view bird’s-eye view © Lucian R and BIG
△ Western District © Lucian R and BIG
Within these “cloud” layers and “mountain” forms, AI CITY will serve as a hub for Tesla and its leading upstream and downstream technology partners to advance artificial intelligence and robotics applications. This will establish a sustainable technological foundation for the new high-tech park. In Yungu, the boundary between nature and architecture dissolves into a porous structure that blends with the urban fabric, weaving through the “mountains” and “valleys” to create green, open courtyards filled with natural light and ventilation. These courtyards will host public events, including sports, art exhibitions, and product showcases within the technology park between the buildings.
△ Healthy Courtyard © BIG
△ Cultural Courtyard © BIG
△ Digital Plaza © BIG
△ Natural Courtyard © BIG
The Tesla AI CITY “Cloud Valley” project also aims to eliminate barriers between humans and artificial intelligence technology. New spaces such as AI exhibition areas, markets, and cafés will invite the public to gather beneath the walk-in green roof. Under the same roof, top talents from China’s most innovative companies will collaborate on technological research and innovation. Furthermore, the transportation plan for Tesla Union AI CITY’s “Cloud Valley” envisions a future where nature and development achieve a new balance through flexible, adaptive systems. Electric bikes, robot cars, and autonomous vehicles will form the backbone of a new intelligent transportation network.
△ Mirror World © Lucian R and BIG
△ Night view of Robot Museum © BIG
△ Robot Museum Scenery © BIG
Leveraging Chongqing’s unique mountainous terrain, BIG’s structural design minimizes direct sunlight on the buildings while fostering a distinctive atmosphere, resulting in a more transparent facade than ever before. To protect the facade and outdoor public spaces from solar radiation and heavy rain, the roof extends strategically according to the facade’s orientation. Part of this roof tilts down toward the central courtyard, forming a passage to the rooftop garden.
△ Night view © BIG
The rooftop landscape is a key design element in Yungu, enabling the seamless coexistence of natural ecology and office spaces while preserving the beauty of the natural surroundings. BIG’s design features a green “carpet” on the roof, formed by the “valley” and “mountain range,” symbolizing harmony between humans, nature, climate, and technology. This green roof will also serve as China’s largest digital display screen at night.
△ Scene diagram © Lucian R and BIG
Drawing Analysis
△ Design intention
Overall Analysis
Project Information
Project Name: AI CITY
Project Area: 135,000 m²
Location: Chongqing, China
Client: Tesla Technology
Collaborators: Local Design Firm: Huiting; Green Building Consultant: CMCU; Curtain Wall Consultant: Forster; Structural Consultant: BIG E
Design Company: BIG – BJARKE INGELS GROUP (www.big.dk)
Partnership: Bjarke Ingels, Jakob Lange, Ole El Love Larsen
Project Leaders: Per Bo Madsen, Nanna Gyldeholm Møller, Dominic James Black, Gabrielle Nadeau, Dora Jiabao Lin, Enea Michelesio
Project Team: Biqin Li, Yara Rahme, Natchaluck Radomsittipat, Ipek Akin, Linnea Lujak, Laura Wätte, Peter Mortensen, Sergiu Calacean, Mattia Di Carlo, Høgni Laksafoss, Jan Magasanik, Eddie Can, Annette Jensen, Mussa Algasra, Marcela Dominika Rydalska, Laurent De Carniere, Cheng-Huang Lin, Nandi Lu, Henrik Jacobsen, Seda Yildiz, Lucas Coelho Netto, Marah Wagner, Vladislav Saprunenko, Jean-Sébastien Pagnon, Dimitrie Grigorescu, Alexander Matthias Jacobson, Kamila Abbiazova, Katrine Juul, Ella Murphy, Tore Banke, Cristian Teodor Fratila, Frederic Lucien Engasser, Ulla Hornsyld, Paul Johann Kohlhaussen, Eric Li, Erik Kreider, Karolina Lepa-Stewart, Tristan Harvey, Miles Treacy, Timo Harboe Nielsen, Andy Coward, Qingfeng Li, Milan Moldenhawer, Mamak Mazaheri, Daniel Ferrara Bilesky, Jesper Petersen
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