Pelli Clarke & Partners unveils bamboo forest-informed district in Yibin

US architecture studio Pelli Clarke & Partners has created an urban district informed by bamboo alongside a new high-speed railway station in Yibin, southern China.

Located to the west of recently opened Yibin high-speed railway station in Sichuan Province, the 836,000-square-metre, car-free district comprises a shopping complex, digital art museum and four mixed-use towers arranged around a central park.

Pelli Clarke & Partners designed the masterplan to reference Yibin's hilly terrain and the nearby Shunan Bamboo Forest – China's largest and oldest bamboo national park.

According to the studio, the development's green roofs, planted terraces and open-air pedestrian streets emulate the layers of the forest floor.

"The scheme's massing has been created in response to the neighbouring landforms, echoing the virtues of interconnectivity, resilience, and adaptability associated with the bamboo plant and its rhizomatic root system," said Pelli Clarke & Partners.

Running through the centre of the new development is that is spread across three levels. It has pedestrian paths and water ways on the ground level, with elevated walkways on the first level.

An elaborate web of canopies on top weaves through the park, offering shading to pedestrians during hot summer days.

These white belt like canopies extend further beyond the park to connect the main shopping area and the towers at the edges of the district.

A series of undulating trellis on the top of retail pavilions in the park follow the natural topography.

According to Pelli Clarke & Partners, the design of these trellis was informed by the unique bamboo root system that extends horizontally to interconnect bamboo groves above ground.

At the east end of the park, in front of the railway station, is a shopping complex called Yibin Place by MIXC, which combines an indoor mall with a series of free standing pavilions.

The arrangement was designed to replicate a street-like shopping experience alongside the park.

The shopping pavilions feature sweeping green roofs, which were informed by fallen bamboo leaves.

At the far end of the park is a digital art museum designed together with Sichuan Provincial Architectural Design & Research Institute (SADI).

Its sculptural facade was clad in aluminium panels to create a shell that encloses large, column-free exhibition spaces.

Symmetrical pairs of towers, 23- and 33-storeys high, were built on either side of the park. The curvature and vertical articulation of facade expression was intended to mimic bamboo-style calligraphy.

"Yibin represents a bold vision for a city, one that is deeply connected to its landscape, culture, and people," said David Chen, partner at Pelli Clarke & Partners.

"Our design expresses a living relationship between nature and the built environment, creating a place that can evolve, grow, and inspire," he continued.

Other projects recently completed by Pelli & Clarke include a glass skyscraper on top of the restored Boston South Station, and Salesforce Tower along the Chicago River.

The photography is by Zhang Chao.

Project credits:

Client: Yibin City Operating & Investment Co
Master plan: PC&P
Master plan collaborators: Yibin Urban & Rural Planning Research Institute and Sichuan Provincial Architectural Design & Research Institute, Ltd.
Retail operator: China Resources MIXC
Digital Art Museum operator: BOE
Hotel operator: Marriott China
Architectural design: PC&P and Sichuan Provincial Architectural Design & Research Institute
Structural engineering: Sichuan Provincial Architectural Design & Research Institute
MEP engineering: Sichuan Provincial Architectural Design & Research Institute
Landscape design: Sichuan Provincial Architectural Design & Research Institute
Retail optimisation & interior design: AICO
Hotel interior design: Cheng Chung Design

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