City-Level Cultural Venues
More than just landmarks, these are vital civic spaces.
Rather than emphasizing traditional qualities like seriousness, nobility, mystery, and gravity,
the focus is on fostering an open and vibrant cultural life for the community.
Venue: The Intersection of City and Landscape
Jiande, historically part of the Baiyue region, is defined by mountainous and hilly terrain, featuring layers of lush green mountains. The Xin’an River runs through the city, showcasing stunning water hues. Known as “Jinfeng Xiuling” and the “hometown of mountains and waters,” Jiande is a quintessential landscape town.
The Jiande City Cultural Complex, recently completed and designed by GOA Elephant, sits in the heart of the old urban area along the Xin’an River. It occupies a strategic location at the intersection of the city axis and the river, serving as a key cultural landmark within Qiaodong Jiangbin Landscape Park. To the north, it connects with the newly developed urban business center, while to the south it faces the Xin’an River, gazing upon the rolling mountains across the water.
The site is extremely narrow, with the building stretching roughly 600 meters east to west and a depth varying between 60 to 140 meters north to south. Facing the Xin’an River, about 280 meters wide, this municipal cultural complex houses four civic spaces: a library, museum, women’s and children’s activity center, and a youth activity center. The above-ground area covers approximately 31,900 square meters.
Large-scale buildings on narrow, elongated sites become prominent elements in the landscape. This site presents a unique tension—exceptional natural views on one side and challenging terrain on the other. Key design challenges include avoiding congestion along the riverside while meeting functional needs, and creating a unified architectural image that remains transparent and open.
Suspension: Freeing the Ground Level
The “mist” rising from the river inspired the design. The Xin’an River’s water, released from 70 meters deep in the upstream reservoir, maintains a steady temperature between 12–17°C year-round, offering cool waters in summer and warmth in winter. The river’s surface often shrouds itself in a landscape of “white sand and mysterious fog,” where thick mist abstracts the mountain contours into disappearing and reappearing curves.
Early in the design process, the architects visited the site during dense fog, captivated by the ethereal interplay of mountains and rivers. Inspired by this, the design embraced the themes of “suspension” and “lightness” to reflect the delicate atmosphere of the landscape.
△ Baisha Qiwu © Goa Elephant Design
Initial sketch © Goa Elephant Design
The design elevates the main functions of the venue to the second and third floors, freeing up the ground level to connect seamlessly with the city streets and the riverside landscape. The building forms a sinuous curve approximately 600 meters in length, floating horizontally across the site and echoing the natural curves of the surrounding landscape.
Four elliptical volumes of varying sizes house the library, museum, women’s and children’s activity center, and youth activity center, all nestled beneath a continuous suspended roof. Concealing structural details enhances the dialogue between architecture and landscape.
Buildings in Mist © Goa Elephant Design
The main entrance is on the first floor, while a continuous public activity platform, 10 meters wide, runs beneath the eaves on the second floor. The “ribbon”-shaped roof stands around 4 meters high and features a triangular overhang at its edge. Rather than being a grand decorative element, this single-layered volume accommodates special exhibition halls, offices, and other museum functions.
The north facade facing the city is segmented into smaller parts, creating a more intimate, domestic scale, contrasting with the openness of the riverside facade. To maintain seamless interaction with the urban surroundings, the first floor along the street is designated for commercial shops, preventing a disruptive break between the building and the city.
Typical profile © Goa Elephant Design
Shelter: A Roof for the Community
Strolling along the river on summer evenings and enjoying the cool mist is a cherished daily ritual for Jiande’s residents. Respecting and extending the existing waterfront public life has been a guiding principle throughout the design process. Urban cultural venues are not only city symbols but also vital spaces for citizens to gather and engage.
Rather than sculpting a monumental form, the architect aimed to create a flexible container that fosters diverse activities.
The suspended roof acts as a protective wing, offering an open, sheltered space for citizens regardless of weather. Ground-level squares sheltered by eaves and the second-floor public platform invite people to enter and linger. These plazas, nestled within the building’s curved recess, feature trumpet-shaped plans that warmly welcome visitors.
△ Landscape framing frame © Goa Elephant Design
The building’s iconic feature is its use of “space” rather than mass. At the junction of the central urban axis and Binjiang Shuixiu Square, the architects created an abstract “landscape frame” spanning 40 meters. Four steel columns, 14 meters tall and arranged in two rows, are slimmed to their minimum diameter, generating the largest open surface facing the city and mountains. This grand gesture instantly immerses visitors in Jiande’s unique landscape.
View: Multi-Level Landscape Experience
The complex and its surroundings include numerous outdoor and semi-outdoor public spaces designed for enjoying the scenery. Using an integrated landscape architecture approach, the architects established multiple elevated viewing paths that offer diverse perspectives of the mountains and water.
Along the river, following the building’s curve, a triple-tier water feature extends the narrow river surface visually. The building’s second-floor platform serves as a city-level viewing deck, offering panoramic river views for visitors whether walking or seated. The roof accommodates visitors as well. The architectural twists create layered river views at varying heights, providing a unique sequential experience.
△ City-level public platform © Goa Elephant Design
Within the complex, functional spaces are arranged around a central shuttle-shaped atrium. Major areas such as the library reading hall and maternity and child center classrooms face the river. The public library offers readers a unique “landscape reading” experience.
Detail: The “Sixth Facade”
As visitors move around the building, the suspended ceiling beneath them flows like a “ribbon” tracing their path. This underside, known as the “sixth facade,” offers a distinctive experience of the structure.
The ceiling is clad in medium-gray aluminum panels with a subtle reflective finish, lending the roof a lighter appearance. The edge features layered closures that reduce beam height and create a slimmer overhang, while also concealing floodlight strips.
The building’s medium-gray palette, combining gray stone bases with aluminum and glass upper sections, creates a compelling contrast between weight and lightness. Varied material textures allow different facades to express distinct qualities.
Follow-Up: Voices of the Community
Since opening, the venue’s open spaces and inviting landscape scale have made it popular among all age groups locally. Walking, jogging, roller skating, square dancing, resting, and reading—these activities have revitalized community life and changed daily experiences.
As a cultural landmark on a key landscape node in Shanshui Town, the building establishes a fresh dialogue between urban life and the surrounding mountains and waters with a soft, light presence. Alongside the “root of the city” building, which reflects Jiande’s history, and existing bridges, it watches over the flowing river, mist, and city life day and night.
Technical Drawings
Project Information
Project Name: Jiande City Cultural Complex
Master Planning & Architectural Design: Goa Elephant Design
Location: Jiande City, Zhejiang Province
Design / Completion: 2013 / 2021
Building Area: 45,000 square meters
Image Credits: Goa Elephant Design
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