wutopia lab forms dreamy pavilion as a sacred space for everyday people with shared memories

a dreamy pavilion

shanghai-based architecture studio wutopia lab converted a neglected pump house at a farm of bright food group into a dreamy pavilion, as a sacred space for ordinary people with shared memories. giving the name ‘shrine of everyman’, the architects sought to generate an ethereal translucent construction that stimulates passers-by curiosity and invites them to a spiritual journey.

something between architecture and art, with its cloud-like appearance, the project stands out of a meadow located in the outskirts of shanghai, china. resting on a semicircle platform filled with water and hovering above a river, the project provides sweeping views of the landscape reflected on the water surfaces. all images courtesy of creatAR images

‘milk chocolate’: a shared memory

through an abstract art language and a hidden series of metaphors, the structure welcomes visitors into a dream, inviting them to discharge their minds and enjoy nature’s beauty. passing through the floating corridor, guests enter the hollow body of a cloud-like structure made of 13 translucent polycarbonate panels that stand next to each other. the design team gave a deep brown color to the suspended shallow pool, serving as a base to emphasize the pump room on its greenery surrounding. 

the brownish coloring symbolizes the chocolate — a taste that reminds us of childhoods’ bohème — and is one of the client’s main products. the chocolate concept is derived from the idea that a shared ‘sweet’ memory can bring people together. besides, in chinese culture, these places with common experiences, inherit a sacredness nod. above the chocolaty pool rises the ‘milky’ pavilion. ‘one of the key charms of traditional chinese culture is that everyday places can be elevated into sacred spaces through the construction of shared memories. that’s when the chocolate came to my mind. milk chocolate, reinvented by shanghai’s food industry (including the predecessor of bright food (group)) during a time of material scarcity, was a boon to the chinese people of that period and was once an integral part of shanghai’s culinary memory,’ mentioned the architect.

resting on a semicircle platform filled with water and hovering above a river

a cloud-like structure

a series of semi-transparent layers punctured by curves create a harmonious visual compilation. the translucent uncertainty and the pools that isolate the landscape create the sacredness of the place which is enhanced once dark, as the structure is illuminated, wrapping in a pearly tone.

‘using my daughter’s favorite motif, ‘cloud’, as a symbol, the layers of polycarbonate panels form jagged doorways and overlapping silhouettes to rewrite the flat experience of the landscape as well as provoke conversations and inspirations,’ said the architect. ‘you walk into shrine of everyman as if you are walking into a shrine shaped by the shared memories of ordinary people. inside, you can look into the distance and see a beautiful earthly landscape that was reclaimed by countless ordinary people. you know that everyday miracles are actually done by ordinary people.’

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project info:

name: shrine of everyman

architects: wutopia lab

architect in charge: yu ting

project architect: mu zhilin

design team: nan xu, kejie mi
construction design company: shanghai zhumeng architecture design co., ltd.
owner: shanghai qian yi agricultural development co., ltd.
construction company: shanghai new landscape architecture industrial co., ltd.
structural consultant: miao binhai
lighting consultant: zhang chenlu
material: sunlight panel, steel

location: shanghai, china

area: 35 sqm

project completion: 2021
photography: creatAR images