For this project, more than ever, architecture is an opportunity for a dialogue with nature, to highlight it and reveal its beauty by contrast. Located in the middle of the extraordinary mountainous landscapes of southern Sichuan, on the top of a hill, it is difficult for an architecture to fight against such power.
This is why we took the side of the absence: bury the program to leave intact the view from the top of the hill. The architecture seems to fade away but it is through reflection that it asserts itself, doubling the sky, constructing the surreal image of an infinite horizon and a feeling of weightlessness.
Two mirrors suspended between mountain and sky amplify and magnify the landscape: above, the water mirror which doubles the sky and creates infinity. Below, the steel mirror which reflects the valley and creates an artificial sky under the sky.
At the top of the mountain, the building is completely buried to keep intact the breathtaking view of the sky and the mountains in the distance.
Arriving to the site, we do not yet perceive the interior life of the building. We only see the landscape, its reflection and between the two, the surreal image of a mirror volume suspended in the void.
The liquor culture experience center of Langjiu estate in Luzhou is a tribute to nature: bury the program to leave intact the view from the top of the hill. The architecture seems to fade away but it is through reflection that it asserts itself, doubling the sky, constructing the surreal image of an infinite horizon and a feeling of weightlessness.
Under this large suspended mirror of 83m*33m, the material of the building, tinted concrete, is impregnated with the color of the slightly ocher neighboring rocks, so that one can believe that it is an excavation, without a precise dating.
On one level underground, the different rooms give a view of the hillside on one side and the view of the valley and the mountains on the other. We have ensured that no joinery interrupts the huge 50-meter-wide window which plunges the visitor into this striking panorama: the extra-clear glasses 2.7m wide by 4.5m high are assembled by a simple transparent silicone joint.
The ceiling is made of mirrored stainless steel sheets assembled on honeycomb panels, over the entire surface, which is duplicated once again and enriched with artificial signs: the reflections of the suspended lamps organized according to the twelve astrological signs.
We wanted to go even further in the sensory experience and we decided to create a belvedere, 20m cantilevered above the steep wall, a technical feat hidden behind a mirror covering: the visitor has the feeling of move forward in the air.
A good architecture should resonate and dialogue with its natural and cultural environment, and Sky Mirrors achieved this great goal.
Zone Of Utopia is a professional design agency based in Paris, France, who focuses on urban planning, urban design, architectural and interior design. It has focused on the research and practice of cultural and critical architecture, meanwhile, the agency expresses the contemporary nature of architecture by strengthening the essential characteristics of the location in a minimalist and poetic way. Dr. Zou Qiang, Founder and Principal Architect.
Mathieu Forest is the director of production and architectural design for Ateliers Jean Nouvel, where he has been working as an architect since 1997. His journey led him to become one of the closest collaborators of Jean Nouvel. He founded MATHIEU FOREST ARCHITECTE in 2011, and it has participated in several competitions and projects in France but also in different countries.
Lin Xiaoguang Studio is located in Sichuan, China. Founded by Lin Xiaoguang, it focuses on urban planning, urban design, architectural and interior design.