Located in the southwest corner of Xinyu City, Jiangxi Province, the project sits within the Xiannv Lake Nature Reserve. Nestled away from urban noise, the center is surrounded by hills, forests, rice paddies, and lakes. The Nature Experience Center is an integral part of the resort, designed to offer visitors immersive natural experiences, public services, and authentic living encounters. A key challenge was to preserve the stunning surrounding landscape while ensuring the building’s functions maintained a low-impact, minimal footprint on the natural terrain.
After multiple site surveys and extensive refinement using a sand table model, the main building was strategically placed on a flat area nestled between two small hills. It bridges the slopes running north to south. To avoid overwhelming the natural environment with the building’s length, the form was inspired by Moby Dick: a massive body seemingly flipping over rivers and seas, absorbing the surrounding forest into itself. The building’s silver-white metallic exterior subtly reflects the lake and mountains, while the undulating roof mimics the surrounding terrain and landforms. Through these shapes and materials, the structure blends seamlessly into the natural environment, creating an intimate space for visitors to connect with nature.
To the east, the Nature Experience Center overlooks rice paddies and a nearby reservoir. The expansive roof opens toward this landscape, accompanied by a continuous transparent glass curtain wall that blurs the boundaries between inside and outside. The low-hanging eaves compress the view into a nearly 100-meter-long natural “feng shui” scroll, offering inspiring perspectives of the scenery. Designed with a 6-meter overhang, the eaves protect visitors from the region’s frequent rain, allowing them to enjoy fresh countryside air in any weather. The roof, shaped like an artificial hill and clad in curled aluminum-magnesium-manganese panels, slopes gently westward to meet the ground, rising only near the main entrance to create a sense of discovery—much like opening a blind box when entering the scenic area. Beneath this free-form roof, spaces such as an information center, coffee shop, bookstore, conference rooms, and dining areas are housed.
Several individual wooden cottages, each uniquely shaped, are scattered along the borders of forests, rice paddies, and ponds. These buildings face different directions to adapt to the terrain and provide views toward the fields or fish ponds from every angle. This design offers visitors varied options to enjoy extended stays in this rural setting. The exterior tiles gradually weather over time, naturally blending the buildings with the surrounding environment.
The building’s steel frame supports the entire exterior, while the exposed structural system inside complements the dynamic, flowing roof design. The dramatic interior space evokes the feeling of Pinocchio inside the belly of a whale. Furniture arrangements inspired by the shapes of reservoir islands encourage visitors to reconnect with nature. Large, original trees on site have been preserved, with the building designed to embrace and incorporate them, demonstrating a harmonious coexistence between architecture and nature.
Project Drawings
△ Model Diagram
△ Model Diagram
△ Model Diagram
△ Generated Diagram
△ General Layout Plan
△ Perspective View
△ Analysis Chart
Project Information
Architect: Dimensional Architecture
Area: 2800 m²
Year: 2021
Photographer: Summer Solstice
Lead Architects: Wang Keming, Song Xiaochao
Design Team: Xue Qi, Zheng Qi, Gao Yining, Yang Yuqian
Client: Tree Wow
Location: Xinyu City
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