Dutch architectural studio, MBRDV, is behind Pujiang Platform, a hill‑shaped timber pavilion in the outskirts of Chengdu that rises from the landscape like a restored piece of terrain. The grass‑covered dome replaces the natural hill that once stood on the site, transforming a modest lookout into a sculptural landmark and a demonstration of low‑carbon, timber‑first design.
The project sits in the rolling hills south of the city, where the original viewpoint had been carved out of the landscape years earlier. MVRDV’s intervention restores that topography while expanding the site’s function, turning it into a destination for visitors, hikers, and community events. The studio said the green roof and surrounding landscape strategy “aims to enhance what already exists at the site,” encouraging the return of native grasses, flowers, and shrubs.
“The hills of this region are truly a spectacular sight, so one of the challenges we faced was to make the most of those views while reducing the impact on the landscape,” said founding partner Jacob van Rijs. “By adding a hill‑shaped pavilion with a green roof, we not only minimise our own impact, but we recreate the hill that was there before.”
Timber is central to the project’s identity.
The entire structure is built from wood, chosen for its low embodied carbon and its ability to sit lightly on the land. MVRDV describes the material palette as an extension of the project’s ecological ethos, with van Rijs noting that “this act of preserving and respecting nature is the essence of the design,” and that biobased materials “have less impact on natural environments such as this one.” The studio hopes the project will help encourage “greater adoption of wood in the Chinese construction industry,” which it says remains hesitant to embrace timber at scale.
Visitors enter the pavilion through a discreet glass façade on the southeast side. Inside, the floor slopes downward while the roof rises, creating what the studio calls a “telescopic” pull toward a 10‑metre‑tall viewing window. Sliding doors open onto a balcony that projects over the hillside, offering panoramic views of the developing town of Pujiang and the distant Qionglai Mountain range. Beneath the leading platform, a partially buried support room houses a kitchen and service facilities behind a stone‑lined exterior.
The project was commissioned by the Pujiang County Planning and Resources Bureau, which is upgrading scenic infrastructure across the region. As part of the works, MVRDV redesigned the surrounding paths and added a spiral staircase that leads to a secondary viewpoint above the pavilion. Environmental performance is embedded throughout. Natural ventilation is prioritised, a geothermal heat pump supplies part of the building’s energy needs, and existing waterways have been repurposed for rainwater collection and irrigation.
Please note: MVRDV was founded in Rotterdam in 1991 by Winy Maas, Nathalie de Vries, and van Rijs. It has an extensive portfolio across China, including the recent Gate M West Bund Dream Centre in Shanghai. Pujiang Platform follows the studio’s earlier experiment with hill‑shaped architecture, the Marble Arch Mound in London, which faced criticism after what MVRDV described as a “loveless execution of our designs.”
