The project is located on the east side of Xinglong Lake in Chengdu's Tianfu New District, and the world's first unicorn island is located in the southeast corner of the site, with a planned area of 66.7 ha and a total construction area of about 1.45 million m², and will be the incubation and cultivation site of Unicorn enterprises.
The schematic design of this site initially focused on connecting roads at various levels, more effectively connecting the public to create open and free access to the roadshow center and emphasize its role of public communications as a public building. The design concept is named U-TUBE based on the shape and interior space. Firstly, the design goal is for the building to serve as a link between the user and the environment, government, and self. At the same time, as a public building, it will also serve as an effective means for the government to connect with and serve the public. Secondly, the appropriate size, shape topographical arrangements of the building, and the continuity of greenery along the riverbanks will give the building a natural and harmonious feel to blend smoothly with the surrounding environment. Thirdly, the exhibits and interpretations will be encouraged to use the concept of time to more effectively integrate and highlight the tunneled space. Facing the terminal's panoramic view of the lake, we also hope to inspire users with a sense of comfort and a vision of a better future. The design intent is to present the concept of “time and space” from different dimensions, to serve the public throughout the day and night, to achieve effective integration between exhibition and performance, and to bring visitors a rich multi-layered sensory experience. Finally, we hope to bring visitors a natural and comfortable architectural experience. The sense of architectural affinity brought by convenient access, the experience similar to tunneling, and the delight and expectation of the open lake view are finally imprinted onto the eye through the internal passageway.
As for the reverse positioning and thinking of the building functions, we tried to separate the “exhibition” and “performance” parts from the 1000 m² mixed-use functions, instead of putting all functions into a large space for flexible use. This also includes obtaining a smaller building volume, to better integrate the building into the surrounding environment. The differentiated design makes the functional space of the scheme more professional and suitable for use, at a more pleasant building scale. Meanwhile, it also brings more possibilities for the architectural form.
The exhibition and performance areas are arranged in a tunnel-shaped space that follows the path of the road, maintaining its integrity and flow. The outdoor performance venue area will also be arranged along the path and terrain beside the lake, forming a natural theatre with an open lake view as the background with a musical fountain emerging at sunset, making it an ideal place for the public to relax. The designed flow of the interior spaces, combined with the free open outdoor spaces, allows the project to realize its role as a public facility, play the role of openness, sharing, and communication.
The structure adopts an arch-like concrete structure that has 200-300mm wall-slab thickness combined with localized columns and adopts an internal thermal insulation system to provide energy-savings. Such treatment also reduces the difficulty of the exposed concrete construction technique, and the integrated design of the interior wall and ceiling finishes makes the space simpler and provides better flow.
We hope that the new building, with its openness and connectivity, will become a medium of communication and propaganda for the general public, technology, and fashion, as well as a symbol of Chengdu, a center of western China to connect with the country and the world.