Tianfu Stage - Exhibition Hall for Urban Planning of Chengdu Merchants in New Tianfu District

Project: Tianfu Stage Architects: AAI – Monster LAB Location: Jiuzhou Street, Tianfu Park, New Tianfu District, Guoshan, China Area: 97,058 sq ft Photography: xf photography

Tianfu Stage by AAI – Monster LAB

Definition: Tianfu 'Stage'

Monster Lab, a new creative studio of AAI International Architecture, won the national architectural competition for designing an exhibition hall for urban planning of Chengdu Merchants in New Tianfu District. As the first exhibition hall and demonstration project built in Tianfu, it will witness the district's progress from empty fields to a thriving urban area characterized by new skyscrapers and culturally diverse population.

Through 'improving traditional achievements and expressing future perfection', we hope this mission-driven building will be compatible with Chengdu's cultural past while speaking about future urban development possibilities here.

The concept of 'stage' emerged from the fact that in modern China, new cities appear everywhere, each promoted as at the forefront of urban planning concepts. But where is the root of these new cities? We decided to find an answer in ancient cities.

The building structure originated from the theater, a common type of public building in old Chengdu. Typically, such theaters feature a performance space mid-street under an eaves, overlapping with the space above it. This creates dual interaction with the city and audience: performance and participation ('stage' serves as a container for performances, while 'space above the stage' provides easy access to the road below).

We abstractly interpreted these elements and implemented modern visual lexicon to refresh this spatial structure. In response to client needs, the building was evenly divided into three volumes for demonstrating future planning, business and life respectively. At the intersection of these three volumes we designed a shared space called 'Tianfu Stage'. It attracts people and allows them to observe the magnificent view of the new city, following the logic of 'stage space' and 'over-stage space'.

Meanwhile, people observing the landscape from the 'stage' become 'dancers', potentially visible from the landscape outside the building. Above the 'stage', a public observatory allows visitors to see higher and further from the building's height.

Response to Site: Frame

'A city is an 'ecosystem' where buildings are animals or plants living within it.' In Monster Lab's architectural philosophy, architecture should be alive, growing like a tree and absorbing 'sunlight, air and nutrients' of the site to give it a unique appearance. This approach was applied in designing Tianfu Stage.

Since the project is east of the business district (CBD) within a green corridor, the site offers an excellent view of the complex urban panorama of towers on the west. Considering existing landscapes, our design process first evaluated existing views and then rotated and folded each functional volume to achieve an ideal balance between people inside and around the building, as well as with its surroundings. Architecture defines possibilities for viewing and behavior, just like painting is a frame – limiting borders and drawing attention to the most important content. The new city's landscape is smooth. Within this 'frame', we hope to foresee its future form, reflect and interact with it, growing together.

We closely follow the planned urban horizon to limit height and overall dimensions of three buildings. Within 'the stage', we can observe how the city and horizon gradually transform into a comprehensive whole, where 'the stage' becomes an active part. This building arose from and rooted in its location: its design logic adapts to the presence of surroundings and people.

The building also prioritizes visitors' field of view in facade treatment: areas with the best views to east and west are clad with large glass curtain walls, while northern and southern walls are solid. Although virtual and real coexist, the project points to a temporary abandonment of excessive distractions, allowing 'reality' to take priority and focusing attention/field of vision again.

Chengdu is a city where rest and enjoying life are common, and its unique climate makes outdoor spaces particularly suitable for leisure. In 'Tianfu Stage', we designed an open-air theater based on the southern solid wall and adjacent landscaped space – providing visitors and audiences multiple opportunities for participation, bringing new energy and potential to architecture and Chengdu's future development.

Vision: Pull Back the 'Curtain'

Where there is a stage, there will also be a curtain. It represents the key state of 'beginning': the curtain has not yet risen, light is dim and there's no sound; when the curtain rises, everything happening on stage attracts people into a live experience that seems real and fully immersive. 'Tianfu Stage' is based on a new beginning of the city, so naturally it also has 'a curtain'.

On both sides of the 'stage', folding glass facades act as its 'curtain'. Their folding forms reflect the distinctive fan pattern typical of Chengdu Sichuan Opera. Unique angles of facade folding break up landscape reflections on the glass, creating a kaleidoscopic dramatic effect allowing space to 'change sides' and create unexpected patterns for passers-by.

Additionally, internally sloped projecting glass facades form an ecological self-shading system. Inside there are no curtains, giving people a free and relaxed view of the surrounding landscape year-round – reinforcing our intention that the project be part of a park city ecological concept.

Today 'Tianfu Stage' returns to the city, community and time. It will be an important public space in the district, acting as a real 'stage' – waiting to be filled with interior and energized by human activity and community. Urban life and collective memory are reformed through the project, acquiring different faces due to urban and landscape growth... The project completes this space here, realizing all its aspects for ensuring long-term value for the city and its people.

-Project description and images provided by AAI – Monster LAB