“We once gazed at the stars, contemplating our place among them; now, we bow our heads, worried only about our bodies in the mud.” — Interstellar Journey
Wutopia Lab, commissioned by TOPYS, teamed up with Dajie Robotics to design a magical realism installation using 3D printing technology at the Starry Sky Plaza in Shanghai’s Wanda Plaza. This project is also Wutopia Lab’s attempt to revitalize urban micro spaces.
The Starry Sky Square sits between a parking garage to the back and north sides of Wanda Plaza and includes a subway entrance and exit, turning it into a pure transportation hub. TOPYS invited Wutopia Lab to create an installation that would activate social interactions and enliven the square.
Due to the subway running below, the ground floor can only support a load of 3.5KN per square meter. The installation required to be lightweight, aging-resistant, easy to maintain, safe, waterproof, and simple to construct—especially without excavation or ground fixation. TOPYS also wanted this social device to be functional and informative, with a budget of 500,000 yuan.
Technology and Art
Standing in the center of Starry Sky Square, I felt disoriented. The sense of place stripped away all familiar references. It didn’t feel like Shanghai; instead, it was as if I were in an ambiguous city, not even tied to the year 2021. This sensation inspired me to explore a futuristic possibility found in science fiction.
I decided to implant a clear parafigure—like Margaret or a Roland Emmerich character—within this vague space to redefine it. The installation needed to maximize volume within the budget. In Shanghai’s uncertain sunlight, I chose black and designed a lightweight yet massive black BDO (Black Dimensional Object).
After consulting with Dajie Robotics, we found that 3D printing could produce a volume up to 3 x 3 x 7 meters, weighing only 650 kilograms—compared to 63,000 kilograms if made from water of the same size. However, the lightweight design posed stability challenges.
To address this, Dajie added a steel structure, which also serves as a staircase, to stabilize the base, increasing the total weight to two tons. Considering the floor slab of 9 square meters could only support 3.15 tons, the team agreed to use robotic 3D printing with ABS black material. I named the project “Arrival.”
“Since I can remember, I have been looking up at the sky.
Do you know what surprised me the most? That was when I met you.” — Arrival
BDO Has Arrived
The black BDO descending onto the square is a symbolic installation representing both divinity and humanity. Inside the silent black rectangular prism lies an abstract karst cave that visitors can explore and climb. There, a yellow sinkhole lets sunlight stream in, momentarily dazzling you and prompting reflections on your existence in this complex city.
At this moment, the descending black BDO becomes a sacred space within the secular city.
Interestingly, the black prism can be disassembled, revealing the glowing yellow core. Detached from its rigid form, this entity is no longer confined to a secular space, allowing a joyous energy to permeate this temporarily defined place. This decomposed black obelisk embodies the desire space of the city.
The black BDO’s internal inspiration comes from the book Underland, while its external form draws from the Stargate—a tool for brief escapes from reality. Though 3D printed and seemingly human-made, it transcends human origins. Most importantly, its arrival activates the surrounding public space.
“Road? We don’t need roads where we’re going.” — Back to the Future
Robot-Printed BDO
Arrival is a ROBIM platform that bridges design and fabrication using Dajie robots, enabling seamless integration of design and construction. It combines parametric design, spatial printing, and digital construction technologies to 3D print the installation.
Spatial printing differs from traditional FDM printing by quickly producing irregular spatial volumes. This technology allows architects to implement unique and iconic design languages. The short curing time of printing materials is crucial to achieving spatial printing.
A flexible robotic arm traces preset shapes in the air, instantly cooling and solidifying to form the spatial structure. The six-axis robotic arm’s wide freedom maximizes production size efficiently, while cloud-based ordering and file production enable automated, unmanned manufacturing.
The factory spent 1.5 months printing the BDO using modified acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), with onsite installation completed within a week.
The unknown future unfolds before my eyes. Facing what lies ahead, for the first time in my life, I feel hopeful.
“Because if a machine or a terminator can understand the value of life, perhaps we can too.” — Terminator 2
An Enterable Monument
Woven ABS creates a semi-transparent black BDO, with the yellow sinkhole faintly visible through sunlight. At night, it transforms into a glowing lantern.
This silent installation conveys all the architect’s intended messages to the city and its residents through dramatic, mime-like language. It serves as a temporary urban monument about the future—one that visitors can physically enter.
“How small and insignificant humans are, yet at the same time, how rare and precious! This vision reminds us that humans belong to something greater than ourselves—that we are not alone in the universe.” — Beyond Time and Space Contact
Project Drawings
△ Dimensional Schematic Diagram
△ Architectural Model
Project Information
Project Name: Arrival
Design Companies: Wutopia Lab, RoboticPlus.AI
Lead Architect: Yu Ting
Project Designers: Pu Shengrui, Liang Zhe
Digital Construction: Shanghai Dajie Robot Technology Co., Ltd — Lai Guanting, Liang Zhe, Chen Rongsheng, Ji Jianhua, Xu Zijie, Chen Sigen, Wu Wei, Zhang Zhijiao, Zhang Zhengyu, Cao Zijie, Deng Caibin, Nie Jiakang, Pang Sheng, Wang Yanjing
Client: TOPYS
Photographer: CreatAR Images
Must log in before commenting!
Sign Up