powerhouse company starts work on chengdu's 'loop of wisdom' in china

in chengdu, china, construction work has begun on the ‘loop of wisdom’ — an oval-shaped structure topped with a bright red, walkable roof. designed by powerhouse company, the accessible canopy twists through lush parkland, connecting people with nature. the project forms part of a larger development — titled ‘unis chip city’ — and will house the masterplan’s exhibition and reception centers. with construction already underway, the scheme is expected to complete in september 2019.

the building’s accessible roof canopy twists through lush parkland
image by mir (also main image)

forming a single red ribbon designed to exist in harmony with its natural surroundings, the ‘loop of wisdom’ unites two venues with one free-standing structure. ‘on top of the hill is the exhibition center, where guests can attend technology and cultural events while enjoying panoramic views of the masterplan,’ explains powerhouse company. ‘the second program is the reception center, where models of the masterplan are showcased.’

the scheme offers views across the surrounding development
image by mir

as part of the development’s sustainable approach, the design team has taken the future use of the building into consideration during the design process. in the near future, the loop will be turned into school facilities with the center of the loop transformed into an olympic size running track. meanwhile, the exhibition center will become an indoor sports center. unis group, the developer of the masterplan, hopes that the project — a 50 billion RMB investment — will convey the ambitions of the city as well as its own aspirations.

the ‘red ribbon’ has been designed to exist in harmony with its natural surroundings
image by powerhouse company

masterplan of ‘unis chip city’
image by silkroad

project info:

name: loop of wisdom
location: chengdu, china

size: 5,000 sqm / 53,820 sqf

typology: exhibition and reception center

period: february – september 2019

status: under construction

client: uni hiku group

architect: powerhouse company

partner in charge: stijn kemper

project architect: niels baljet

project team: stijn kemper, nanne de ru, niels baljet, maarten diederix, meagan kerr, loz mills, reto egli, daan masmeijer, eli keijser, niek koning, caroline desplan, penny unni, filip galić, dries brøns, gert ververs, giovanni coni, rafael zarza garcía, stavros voskaris, yanni huang, michiel bosch, severino iritano, albert takashi richters, kimi fei