Shakespeare once said, “There are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand hearts.” Similarly, there are a thousand versions of Chang’an in countless hearts. After exploring Li Bai and Du Fu’s Chang’an, it is essential to understand the Chang’an envisioned by contemporary Xi’an residents like Wang Junbao. When you witness kindergarten principals from across the country eagerly embracing Junbao’s designs, or children joyfully reciting Tang and Song dynasty poems within his architectural creations, your heart will soar with the spirit of Junbao’s winged Tang Monk in Chang’an.
The Jianguomen Futurist City Exhibition Hall is a visionary yet practical project by Junbao, embodying a strong sense of public engagement. It represents a joyous milestone in Junbao’s continuous innovation and growth.
— Liu Kecheng, Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Director of Shaanxi Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for the Protection of Historical Sites
Is it a house? A device? A spacecraft cabin? Are you a futurist or is this merely Deca’s “useless work” or a flight of fancy? The “Futurist” urban mobile exhibition hall has landed in the cultural and creative district of Jianguomen Old Vegetable Market in Xi’an. For Deca, this is an ambitious experimental endeavor that fosters a dialogue between history and the future by embracing the distinctive urban character and rich heritage surrounding the city gate.
Futurist City Exhibition Hall
The Futurist symbolizes the hope and aspirations of our nation. Positioned opposite Jianguomen, it plays a pivotal role in urban renewal and shared cultural development. What exactly is it? Its curious form invites small press conferences, concerts, and art exhibitions. Children play freely here, young people pause to engage, and elders gaze up in admiration. Beauty begins here. Through this mobile urban exhibition hall and its forthcoming activities, we showcase not just Xi’an but a vision of a vibrant city. I am in Xi’an, and this place is truly enchanting.
New Stories Under the Ancient City Walls
Chang’an honors the inaugural year of China’s Tiangong era. The Old Vegetable Market preserves history through cultural revitalization, while China’s aerospace industry explores the future with technological prowess. History and future converge to express China’s confidence. Amid the long passage of time and the journey to the stars and seas, we remain true to our original aspirations and continue forging ahead. A ‘free-flying futurist’ has arrived at Jianguomen.
Deca’s decision to undertake this challenging project at Jianguomen was deliberate. Supported by many, the unique site conditions foster imaginative realism, providing fertile ground for Deca’s work. Dika aims to contribute to urban renewal by blending public engagement with architecture, art, music, and urban culture, cultivating beautiful stories through organic interaction.
△ Jianguomen Old Restaurant · Image sourced from the internet
△ Project location
As Xi’an’s first cultural and creative district focused on urban life in the old city, the Laocaichang Market Cultural and Creative Block features a renewal strategy of “micro renewal, light renovation.” The area boasts numerous popular rooftop leisure spots that engage with the ancient city walls, alongside vibrant workshops and studios for young creatives. This unique cultural and artistic atmosphere harmoniously coexists with the lively original street ecology.
△ Architectural Model
The ‘Futurist’ directly faces Jianguomen, a landmark at the entrance of the Old Market cultural and creative block. Occupying a 40-square-meter street corner, it embodies the organic fusion of creative innovation and historical tradition. It perfectly demonstrates the interaction between spiritual art and urban vitality. Passersby are intrigued—some liken it to a plump white spacecraft, others to a radio or a flying house.
△ Design manuscript
Dika envisions this architectural installation as a catalyst for thought, sparking curiosity and interest while conveying the design philosophy and logic behind it. With its seemingly “useless” wishful thinking, the project invites participation and observation of the infinite possibilities it may inspire in the future.
△ West side facade
△ South facade
△ East side facade
△ East side facade
△ West side facade
△ Architectural Model
△ Architectural Model
△ Architectural Model
Floating Emotional Resonance, Static Rational Power
The future stands at the foot of the city wall, engaged in a cross-temporal dialogue with history. Though it appears futuristic, the urban experiment reflects Deca’s classical sensibility and rigorous architectural logic. This project uses a small structure to convey grand ideas, drawing inspiration from Eastern and Western history to create designs rich in freedom and possibility, where orderly design fosters spontaneous, diverse experiences.
△ Practical creative process
△ Exhibition Model
Embracing Warmth Through a ‘Universal Space’
The ‘Futurist’ is built around an ancient tree, with local characteristics deeply embedded since the design’s inception. However, Deca intended it to be a strikingly contrasting “intruder” in form, breaking the monotony of its surroundings. This dynamic structure injects new life into the old city as two spacecraft appear to float mid-air, evoking a sensation of strolling through space.
△ Artist Wang Zinc’s work – “Young Boys”
The design philosophy of the ‘Futurist’ maintains Deca’s signature architectural approach. Its unique form and futuristic expression balance classical, symmetrical, contemporary, and forward-looking elements. The project aims to harmoniously integrate futuristic, natural, and public components within the urban fabric.
Dialogue Between Installation and Artwork
△ Interaction between Artist EuJane and Artist Zhao Haitao’s artwork “Flower Painting Chair”
Inspired by Le Corbusier’s concept of the “free plan,” the project explores a “universal space.” Although the form might seem exaggerated, it is meticulously calculated using arithmetic sequences, pi, and the golden ratio to achieve optimal arrangement and internal stability. This order fosters imagination and creates immersive experiences.
The interior structure features a cement slab steel frame, while the exterior is clad in GRC (glass fiber reinforced concrete). Six slender pillars support the main building, with a rotating propeller device oriented toward Jianguomen.
△ Construction process
The architectural texture, infused with the life of Xi’an’s old city, allows the Futurist Urban Renewal Experimental Field to display a unique spatial quality. It attracts elders, youth, and children alike, drawing many visitors to experience and energize this historic district. It serves as a vessel embracing the past, present, and future.
Shooting at 5:00 PM
Shooting at 4:00 PM
Imagination breathes life into buildings through light and shadow. Louis Kahn famously said, “The sun never knows how great it is until it shines on a building.” Though the cabin is only 25 square meters, it constitutes a mobile exhibition hall that reveals multiple facets of Xi’an. The cabin’s interior is a hollow space topped with a full-body mirror that interacts with visitors. Inside, a whimsical sculpture of a Q-version Little Tang Monk adds humor and charm.
Shooting at 3:00 PM
The night is about to fall
The smaller northern cabin, designed as a relatively independent unit, features LED screens that fold out to showcase Xi’an’s urban imagery. Positioned at an open street corner, it offers a discreet private space for reflection or solitude.
△ Filmed at 4:30 PM
The spirit of Pandora’s Box is also embodied in this small space: when first opened, it releases evils like plague and jealousy, but just as hope is about to emerge, the box closes. Through the Futurist, we strive to unlock that hope, spreading beauty and filling the world with love.
New Stories Beneath the Ancient City Walls
Deca’s enduring aspiration is to transcend narrow perspectives and embrace humanity’s shared past as our own. Being unconventional is not about flaunting skills but about embodying values of inquiry, knowledge-seeking, trial, and exploration grounded in rigorous calculation.
Visual impression under natural light and shadow
The Future Under the Twilight
Shooting at 5:00 PM
We express ourselves through simple, lightweight materials and pure colors, constantly seeking a distinctive architectural language. At moments when the building’s facade seems to solidify, various “flowing motions” emerge, creating a static force that conveys action or emotion. The otherwise cold structure instantly gains warmth and humanity.
Curious observer
Interpreted as the cabin’s large “bubble,” circular windows, or irregular folds, these elements balance the building’s emotional and rational aspects, exploring common human memories and subtly connecting people on a sensory level.
‘Disorder’ Brings Surprise, Making the Unusual Everyday
Within the open space and surrounding outdoor areas, the “Architecture in the Republic” exhibition showcases nine kindergarten architectural designs by Dika. This marks the first event of its kind at the Old Vegetable Market, where young visitors excitedly share on social media how the city market has become increasingly vibrant and enjoyable.
The Future and the Ancient City Walls Coexist Harmoniously
Shooting at 6:30 PM
The night is about to fall
Shooting at 3:00 PM
Dika’s original intention was to create a borderless outdoor experimental space embodying the image of futurists. It acts as a “catalyst” to energize community life, catering to diverse age groups and social circles. Young visitors, elderly market-goers, children returning from school, and longtime residents beneath the city walls all find reasons to stay, enjoying practical functions alongside cultural and artistic experiences.
Shooting at 4:00 PM
Shooting at 7:00 PM
Respecting the terrain, the building is nestled around an ancient tree, which serves as the site’s focal point and complements the surrounding old cityscape. Through innovative artistic strokes, it rekindles the dialogue between Jianguomen’s history and future, offering rich cultural and artistic opportunities.
The Propeller Keeps Rotating
Shooting at 10:50 PM
The Futurist has been constructed amid widespread curiosity from citizens, children, and young people. Now unveiled, it evokes feelings of beauty, novelty, and confidence. Some perceive it as a science museum, art museum, or stage, but it is intimately close to us. It offers a venue for events, idea exchange, and a vibrant city culture characterized by inclusiveness, openness, and compelling narratives.
The night is about to fall
△ Performance by Music Academy artists
Curious citizens
A lively crowd of onlookers
The future has arrived, and we hope it will come to life rather than fade away, adhering to a long-term vision. Public art spaces foster connection and vibrant urban life. The Futurist, bridging history and modernity, aims to shape an exciting lifestyle alongside the old neighborhoods, fostering a strong sense of community with practical, social, and artistic value.
Shooting at 3:00 PM
A group of determined individuals passionately pursues their ideals. We cherish every opportunity for talent to shine. The Deca Architectural Design Center continuously strives for innovation and growth. Though there may be setbacks due to inexperience or imperfections, we work tirelessly alongside you to realize our shared vision.
The beauty of life lies in breaking free from the ordinary and embracing imperfection. By following our primal human instincts, informed by macro and micro perspectives, nature, humanities, history, science, psychology, and behavioral studies, we expand our worldview and embrace humanity’s collective past as our own. We firmly believe our collaborations will create moving works.
Founder of Deca Architectural Design Center
Lead Architect |
Wang Junbao |
Futurist · Design Philosophy
Project Information
Project Name: Futurist City Exhibition Hall
Chief Planner: Quan Jianbiao
Architect: Wang Junbao
Construction Party: Xi’an Chengmenli Commercial Operation Management Co., Ltd
Design Unit: Deca Architectural Design Center
Construction Unit: Yan Shengwang Zinc
Design Team: Tian Jiabin, Lu Qingyin, Zhang Qi, Tu Xueliang, Zhang Zhigang, Hou Geng, Wang Yaguang, Ma Lu, Mei Peiwen, Ou Jiyong, Tan Huimin, Fu Huiming
Photographers: Zhang Qi, Zhao Chenglin, Dou Dou Leno
Article: Axi / Poppy
Image Rights: Copyright belongs to Dica Architectural Design Center. Video materials sourced from the internet.
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