Zijing Conference Camp in Jingdezhen reconfigures the contemporary conference center as a dispersed settlement embedded within a mountainous landscape, where architecture, topography, and climate operate as an integrated system rather than discrete elements.
Zijing Conference Camp Technical Information
- ArchitectsStudio Zhu Pei
- LocationJingdezhen, China
- Gross Area40,107 m2 | 431,716 Sq. Ft.
- Project Years2018 – 2022
- Photographs© Su Shengliang
The project transforms a centralized building into a porous settlement that absorbs light, air, and human activity while remaining inseparable from the mountain landscape.
– Zhu Pei
Settlement Strategy: Dissolving the Conference Typology into the Landscape
The project replaces the conventional singular conference complex with a distributed system of buildings arranged along a mountain ridge. Rather than asserting a dominant object in the landscape, the design adopts a settlement logic, where individual volumes are positioned in response to contours, ravines, and existing vegetation. This approach reduces visual impact while establishing a spatial relationship closer to that of rural villages in the region.
The absence of a rigid grid produces a non-hierarchical configuration. Conference halls, guest accommodations, and shared facilities are interspersed across the site, creating a field condition rather than a central axis. This fragmentation allows the architecture to mediate between natural and cultivated elements, including nearby farmland and water bodies, and reinforces a mode of occupation that prioritizes movement through the landscape.
The strategy aligns with long-standing spatial concepts associated with Feng Shui, where siting, orientation, and environmental balance are integral to design. Buildings are neither isolated nor imposed but embedded within a broader ecological and cultural framework, establishing continuity between constructed form and terrain.
Formal and Structural System: The Inverted Arch as Generative Element
The defining formal device of the project is the repeated use of single-curved inverted arches. These elements function simultaneously as structure and roof, generating a consistent architectural language across the dispersed buildings. Variation in their curvature and orientation produces a roofscape that appears cohesive from a distance yet remains differentiated at the level of individual volumes.
The arches draw from the principles of traditional Chinese double-eave roofs, though translated into large-scale concrete forms. Instead of replicating historical details, the design abstracts their geometric logic, particularly the subtle curvature and layered profiles. This transformation retains a cultural resonance while allowing structural clarity and construction efficiency.
Board-formed concrete surfaces reveal the process of making, with visible grain and tie holes emphasizing material authenticity. The repetition of arches creates rhythmic patterns of mass and void, while their varying profiles influence how light is refracted and diffused across façades and interiors. The result is a system where structural necessity and formal expression remain closely aligned.
Environmental Mediation: Porosity, Climate, and Atmospheric Control
The architecture operates as a porous system that mediates between interior and exterior conditions. Skylights integrated along the apex of vaulted roofs introduce controlled daylight, while the curvature of the arches enhances its वितरण across interior surfaces. Operable elements and layered envelopes support natural ventilation, reducing reliance on mechanical systems.
Deep overhangs and extended eaves play a critical role in mitigating the effects of Jingdezhen’s hot and humid climate. They provide shade and protect circulation paths from rainfall, forming a network of semi-open spaces that function as transitional zones. These grey spaces, which include corridors, terraces, and colonnades, moderate temperature and encourage passive cooling.
Vegetation, air movement, and filtered light are allowed to penetrate deeply into the built fabric. The arrangement of buildings creates microclimatic conditions in which breezes are channeled, and shaded areas are preserved. This permeability enables environmental factors to shape the spatial experience, reinforcing the project’s alignment with its natural setting.
Spatial Continuity and Experiential Sequencing
The project is organized as a continuous sequence of interconnected spaces rather than discrete buildings. Circulation occurs through an ქს of paths, elevated walkways, and courtyards that link programmatic elements across varying elevations. This system encourages gradual transitions between interior and exterior environments, with moments of compression and openness unfolding along each route.
Sectional variation allows the architecture to step down the hillside, producing layered perspectives and shifting viewpoints. From higher points, the clustered roofs appear as a unified landscape, while at ground level, individual spaces unfold through a series of framed views and spatial thresholds. Sunken courtyards and elevated platforms further diversify the vertical experience.
Interior spaces balance the weight of exposed concrete with warmer materials such as timber. Large vaulted ceilings create a sense of monumentality in gathering spaces, while smaller rooms introduce intimacy through proportion and material contrast. Light plays a central role in defining atmosphere, from the diffused glow of skylit lobbies to the filtered daylight in meeting rooms, shaping both collective and contemplative uses.
About Studio Zhu Pei
Studio Zhu Pei is an architectural practice based in Beijing, China, founded in 2005 by architect Zhu Pei. The studio is known for its “Architecture of Nature” approach, which emphasizes the integration of buildings with their environmental, cultural, and topographical contexts. Its work explores the relationship between traditional Chinese spatial concepts and contemporary architectural expression, often employing material authenticity, geometric abstraction, and landscape-driven design strategies.
Credits and Additional Notes
- Client: Black Cat Group
- Structural engineers: The Design Institute of Landscape & Architecture China Academy of Art
- MEP consultants: The Design Institute of Landscape & Architecture China Academy of Art
- Landscape designers: The Design Institute of Landscape & Architecture China Academy of Art
- Construction company: China Construction First Group Corporation Limited; Huajiang Construction Co., Ltd. of China Construction First Group
- Façade Consultant: King Glass Engineering Co., Ltd.
- Lighting Consultant: Ning Field Lighting Design Co., Ltd.
- Acoustic Consultant: Hangzhou Zhida Architectural Science and Technology Co., Ltd.
Really impressive design! The way the buildings blend into the landscape looks so calm and thoughtful.