△ Video © Wutopia Lab
The blue metal hills with their flowing waves and semi-transparent white cliffs, designed by the studio, were completed on October 31, 2023. The reason for the delayed official announcement was simply due to my own laziness.
△ Aerial view of Qingqiu White Cliff with Japanese scenery © Wutopia Lab
△ Aerial view of Qingqiu roof © Wutopia Lab
“How vast the world is, rushing to the other side of life before dark.” – Yu Xiuhua
Let me tell you about a spring when the barnyard stands on edge.
Between Copper Castle Pool and the Red Brick Factory Building lies a thin waterline, which can be traced back to its source hidden on the northernmost side of EKA Tianwu Park. This park is a renovated and covered material yard, including the duty room’s green hills and white cliffs. I planned seven locations across Tianwu, hoping to activate the park’s narrative through their gradual opening. Behind the Copper Fortress, the park’s focal point, runs a slender thread connecting the spaces. Copper Castle and Qingqiu Baiya form a family group—two of the seven key points.
△ EKA aerial photography of celestial objects © Wutopia Lab
General plan of Tongbao Qingqiu Baiya © Wutopia Lab
Before the renovation of Qingqiu Baiya © Wutopia Lab
After the renovation of Qingqiu Baiya © CreatAR Images
After the renovation of Qingqiu Baiya © CreatAR Images
I built the narrative design using symbols, metaphors, myths, talismans, history, and improvisation. Construction techniques, materials, structural analysis, site study, and historical typologies formed the secondary layer between narrative and design.
△ Aerial view of Japanese scenery © CreatAR Images
△ Aerial view of Japanese scenery © CreatAR Images
Top view during the day © CreatAR Images
△ General layout plan © Wutopia Lab
I see Qingqiu as the wives of myself and Mr. Chen, both enduring illness and suffering in Chengdu. I hope Madam lives well. Green, especially Oriental green, symbolizes vitality, but I chose blue instead. According to research in the book The Golden Peach of Samarkand, my intuition was confirmed: Wu Zetian used lapis lazuli to represent heaven, and lapis lazuli’s blue is Klein blue. This inspired me to transform the material yard into a blue house.
Further inspired by Marco Polo’s travelogue mentioning the green mountains surrounding the Hanbali Palace, where mountains, palaces, and trees blend seamlessly, I designed the building’s roof to resemble a continuous, undulating mountain range. This shape evokes a tent resting on a base, inspired by a section titled “Wooden Tents of the Tatars” I read while revisiting the Khan Ba Li Qing Shan. Initially, I called this building Qinglu, or Klein Blue Tent.
△ Aerial view of Qingqiu roof © CreatAR Images
△ Aerial view of Qingqiu roof © CreatAR Images
Design is simple, but life is not easy. Our emotions sway with the results of my wife’s medical examinations—nervousness and anxiety gripping me between breaths, waiting for the next wave of worry. Yet, she remained calm and composed. I instructed project architect Mu Zhilin to clad this soft building in shining metal armor. French curtain wall consultant Florian Rochereau suggested using a fish scale pattern with aluminum panels to fit the undulating shape. Suddenly, I recalled a youthful moment: “She rose from the pool, covered in crystal-clear water droplets, bathed in the afternoon sun as if wearing sparkling scales. I wanted to catch her, but she slipped away.” I told Florian, “That’s it.”
△ Qingqiu Curtain Wall Scale Installation Diagram © Bespoke
△ Qingqiu Curtain Wall Scale Combination Detailed Drawing © Bespoke
△ Qingqiu Curtain Wall Scale Detailed Drawing © Bespoke
△ Qingqiu Curtain Wall Construction Process Record © Bespoke
△ Qingqiu Curtain Wall Construction Process Record © Bespoke
△ Qingqiu Metal Curtain Wall © CreatAR Images
Life is unpredictable, so I painted all interiors white and surrounded myself with encouraging words. The golden door symbolizes beautiful memories; the orange round window represents blessings. When curator He Genxiang shared photos on WeChat Moments, someone commented, “Waves.” I replied, “Hills like waves. That’s Qingqiu.” This is the birth of Qingqiu—direct and reflective of life. Beneath the blue metal hills that undulate like waves lies our “swaying human world.”
△ Qingqiu facade © CreatAR Images
△ Qingqiu Interior © CreatAR Images
△ Section diagram © Wutopia Lab
I please this world with pain.
In 2020, due to epidemic control measures, I accompanied my wife during a hospital stay of about 40 days. Initially, Tangtang stayed at a friend’s house, later joined by a pregnant aunt. Tangtang cut her long hair short, transforming from a gentle girl into a lively tomboy. In early 2023, I was preparing to give a speech but was weakened by illness and needed a cane. She said the cane was ugly and wanted me to lean on her instead—she became my cane.
In recent years, she has weathered panic, bullying, and worry, yet remained strong. I designed the duty room with two floors: an outer layer of translucent PVC fabric curtain walls outlines the white cliff, while the inner buildings are solid geometric forms. We often underestimate children, assuming they need protection and are fragile, but they can be strong or fragile. Every setback is a baptism for their future. This dual-layer boundary forms the White Cliff.
△ Aerial view of Qingqiu White Cliff night scene © CreatAR Images
△ White Cliff Night Scene Facade © CreatAR Images
△ White Cliff Fabric Curtain Wall Night Scene © CreatAR Images
△ South elevation view © Wutopia Lab
△ East elevation view © Wutopia Lab
At this moment, I recall poetic lines filled with dust.
I’ve always felt that complex floor mosaic designs in landscaping are redundant and wasteful. I covered the entire site with red concrete to provide a unified background that complements the architectural complex. I preserved the chimney, redesigning it as a lighthouse and signpost. Mr. Zhan, the Vice President of Party A, asked what I wanted to change inside. I answered, “Cigars.” I imagined curling up on the sofa inside the chimney, lighting a cigar with Mr. Zhan, and watching the smoke drift slowly upward like a well. This might be the most peaceful moment for us busy middle-aged people.
△ Red concrete floor © CreatAR Images
△ First floor plan © Wutopia Lab
This is good.
On site, Mu Zhilin entrusted me to select one of the brushed or frosted surface treatments for the scales. When raindrops lingered on the misty curtain wall surface, creating a surreal illusion, I finally understood why I chose not to illustrate.
Green hills after rain © CreatAR Images
△ Scales after rain © CreatAR Images
Originally, Qingqiu was planned as a restaurant and Baiya as a bar. Nearing completion, I decided to leave them vacant for the time being, awaiting better opportunities. I requested the floor inside the White Cliff be covered with leopard print during filming because, during difficult times, I connected with the leopard as a symbol of encouragement. Ultimately, the pattern became tiger stripes, reminding me not to be like a strict father. I think that’s okay—life shouldn’t be so tense.
△ White Cliff Facade © CreatAR Images
△ White Cliff Entrance © CreatAR Images
△ White Cliff Interior © CreatAR Images
During my hospital stays, I found solace in the TV series Good Doctor and Yu Xiuhua’s poetry, which helped me endure anxious waiting. There is design and hope.
The White Cliff after the rain © CreatAR Images
The White Cliff after the rain © CreatAR Images
“No one is in the rain, no one is not in the rain.” – Yu Xiuhua
△ Aerial view of Qingqiu White Cliff night scene © CreatAR Images
PS: All titles are taken from poems by Yu Xiuhua.
Project Information
Project Name: Qingqiu Baiya
Design Company: Wutopia Lab
Lead Architect: Yu Ting
Project Architect: Mu Zhilin
Design Team: Dai Ruoyong, Mikojie
Owner: Shanghai Jiayun Investment Management Development Co., Ltd
Construction Unit: Shanghai Qikufang Cloud Culture Technology Co., Ltd
Special Structure and Customized Curtain Wall Consultant: Florian Rochereau
Metal Curtain Wall Design + Geometric Optimization: Best Design Consulting (Shanghai) Co., Ltd
Fabric Curtain Wall Design: Ruidel Building Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd
Lighting Consultant: Zhang Chenlu
Photography: CreatAR Images
Appearances: Liu Benxin, Zhuang Qingqing (Shanghai Tianqian Youth Sports Dance Club)
Address: Pudong, Shanghai, China
Duration: November 2021 to November 2023
Area: 330 square meters
Materials: Metal curtain wall, fabric curtain wall, colored concrete floor, paint, glass
Must log in before commenting!
Sign Up