The distant mountains resemble silk ribbons swirling gracefully around the landscape.
This habitat is shaped by the harmonious alternation of mountains and forests.
Admiring the mountains, the habitat emerges from the interplay of rugged peaks and dense forests.
Located in Songming County, Kunming City, Yunnan Province—known as the “Pearl of the Plateau,” “Hometown of Lanterns,” and “Hometown of Dragons and Lions”—this region boasts stunning mountains, rivers, and a pristine ecological environment. Positioned within Kunming’s “half-hour economic circle” connecting the main city and Changshui Airport, it serves as a vital force driving high-quality regional development through its rich cultural heritage and promising growth prospects.
OCT · Dianzhong Lehuo City strategically selected this location to deeply explore the area’s tourism potential. The project emphasizes urban, regional, and ethnic cultures, weaving them seamlessly into the design to transcend internal project needs and intellectual property constraints. At the heart of the entire Lehuo City development lies Happy Park, utilizing the existing terrain while incorporating Yunnan’s distinct characteristics and Songming’s cultural essence.
⊙ Image source: internet
⊙ Location analysis
The Dianzhong Lehuo City project serves as a development hub for integrated planning and policy implementation, focusing on five key industries: cultural tourism, smart education, dynamic sports, healthy living, and ecological agriculture. Spanning 2,188 acres, it aims to become a model of industry-city integration within the Dianzhong New Area.
Daily life construction within the project translates these five industries into three core areas and six supporting systems to enhance residents’ quality of life. The core focuses are a 428-acre parent-child themed ecological park, a high-quality education city catering to all ages, and a comprehensive life-cycle health management system. Supporting systems include a humanistic and artistic system, dynamic sports system, mountain and wilderness exploration system, pastoral ecological system, low-density residential system, and digital intelligence system.
⊙ Aerial rendering
⊙ Rendering
The project will function as the Lehuo City Community Center, strategically positioned at the interface where urban and ecological spaces converge. It neighbors Fajie Temple Forest Park to the north and open rural landscapes to the south, offering a unique ecological setting alongside excellent transportation access.
Imagery
Intentional imagery is created to convey meaning.
The lush green fields and dense forests of Songming, framed by majestic valleys, inspire the design. Drawing from the natural curves of the surrounding mountains, the building features smooth, flowing surfaces resembling ribbons, which serve as the main stylistic element. This abstract, floating ribbon becomes the core architectural inspiration, introducing fresh visual elements into the distant green mountains.
⊙ Design Concept
The architectural design embraces the narrow, undulating terrain, using a ribbon shape as the foundation for the building’s form. The elegant roof accentuates the ribbon theme, seamlessly connecting with the transparent glass facade to create a unique, flowing aesthetic.
The site features a 4.4-meter height difference and is divided into three sections under the ribbon-inspired roof: community center, commercial, and residential areas, addressing functional requirements. The twisting, undulating roof covers the building while a strip-shaped skylight along the ridge allows for a passageway between blocks, facilitating easy internal and external flow.
⊙ Block Generation
The Dianzhong Lehuo City Exhibition Center is strategically positioned facing Lanmao Avenue, linking with adjacent residential parks to form an extensive urban interface. Future plans include integration with Luoguoshan Park to boost overall community vitality.
Capitalizing on the unique climate and abundant resources of central Yunnan, Yunnan Lehuo City has emerged as a hub. The project expands industrial platforms and urban services, evolving into a smart tourism life exhibition center for the region.
⊙ General Layout Plan
The building features a narrow, elongated form with four entrances. The westernmost entrance serves as a showcase center for life aesthetics, accessible via a winding water pathway where the ribbon motif gently rises. The recessed facade and bright color accents help define the building’s shape, creating a transitional “gray space” that blurs indoor and outdoor boundaries.
The soft ribbon motif flows from the roof to the facade and back, extending the space into a beautiful arc. The facade balances reality and abstraction, blending functionality with aesthetics to harmonize form and purpose.
Construction
Craftsmanship perfects the art of building.
Structure serves as the building’s skeleton, shaping architecture and space. We carefully addressed how to realize the ribbon-like large-span roof design while fulfilling functional requirements using advanced technology.
Though the roof form is continuous, the supporting structures under the commercial blocks are spatially separate. The main load-bearing system is a frame structure, with steel frameworks supporting the community center and commercial areas, primarily using H-shaped steel beams.
The community center features a combination of round and square steel columns for commercial areas, with concrete structures supporting the building. The flexible curved roof is sustained by these interconnected and curved frameworks.
⊙ Structural Analysis
⊙ Roof Structure
⊙ Beam Distribution
The roof surface is clad with 30×30 mm aluminum plates, shaped to match the roof’s curves and installed selectively. The input ratio is 2%, and REVIT generates aluminum plates in various colors. Large sections feature elegant silver plates, complemented by dark gray plates for decorative accents.
⊙ Aluminum Plate Design
The project’s facade exhibits a simple, modern, and refined style. Its ultra-long display surface along the street forms a clean urban interface, enhanced by landscaping to increase street visibility. The transparent facade is accented with bright colors, while the roof twists and folds into the walls. Layers of aluminum panels create a contemporary skin texture. Champagne gold aluminum panels form a metal grille that separates the central glass curtain wall, producing dynamic light and shadow effects inside.
⊙ Material Analysis
⊙ Detailed Construction Drawing
⊙ Elevation View
Construction Site
Space
Creating an artistic atmosphere to enhance experience
The design incorporates modern artistic aesthetics, blending the natural charm of mountains and waters into soft, minimalistic indoor partitions. It aims to extend the landscape experience within limited space and simple pathways. As visitors walk through, the scenery shifts with every step, and light and shadow play dynamically. The pure, concise environment is enlivened by colorful accents, evoking the flowers and butterflies of the Four Seasons Spring City.
⊙ Function and Flow
The building facade is primarily composed of expansive glass curtain walls, complemented by a central grille featuring smooth, flowing lines to offset visual emptiness. The metal components align with the facade’s modern, elegant style, inspired by ancient armor weaving patterns. This semi-transparent structure creates captivating light and shadow play inside when illuminated by sunlight.
The grille’s woven pattern fragments light like fluttering butterfly wings, adding spatial layers and conveying a seamless integration of art into daily life. This subtle design language evokes emotional resonance.
A strip-shaped skylight runs along the roof ridge, traversing the entire building with a slender, elegant curve. This feature introduces natural light into circulation spaces, emphasizing the relationship between the “corridor” and the architecture’s fifth facade. The interplay of sunlight and expansive pure white surfaces creates a soft, ethereal ambiance, fostering a naturally lit environment for walking and social interaction.
⊙ Sectional Drawing
⊙ Plan View
Conclusion
This design draws inspiration from the rolling mountain landscapes, symbolized by ribbons to integrate the elegance of curves into the architecture. The floating conceptual image is transformed into a deeply resonant and abstract architectural identity. The pure, minimalist form harmoniously coexists with nature, creating a serene and memorable architectural presence.
Project Information
Project Name: Kunming Overseas Chinese Town; Lehuo City in Central Yunnan
Location: Intersection of Lanmao Avenue and Songming Old City, Dianzhong New District, Kunming City
Project Owner: Yunnan Huawen Kanglv Development Co., Ltd
Project Function: Display Center
Building Area: 4,684.07 square meters
Architectural Design: Chengzhi Design
Design Director: Xu Yangfeng
Design Team: Yang Yan, Ma Zhenjie
BIM Design: Grasshopper Technology
Landscape Design: Shanshui Bide Design Co., Ltd
Interior Design: Gravity Singularity Design
Construction Drawing Design: Zhouyu Design Group Co., Ltd
Design Date: June 2021
Completion Date: April 2022
Project Photography: Prismlmage Prism
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