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OPEN Architecture's sculptural Sun Tower tops out

2023-06-29T17:48:00-04:00

OPEN Architecture has shared construction photos of its new Sun Tower project, which recently topped out in the coastal Chinese city of Yantai.

The program of the 164-foot tower is divided into three parts from the ground up. The semi-outdoor theater contained at its base gives way to a mid-level exhibition space that’s topped by a small library and viewing area on the uppermost floor. Its concave composite shell serves as "sound collector" while finally, a well-placed oculus at the top of the structure allows for rainwater to enter into a small pool that remains dry in the winter in order to be reused as a fireplace.

Previously on Archinect: OPEN unveils new details on Yantai Sun Tower project

The firm describes: “Looking beyond image making, we wanted to create something meaningful at least on two fundamental levels: One is to remind people [of] the wonders of nature that are often forgotten in the hustle and bustle of daily life; the other is to bring much needed public programs i...

Five unique geometric forms by OPEN Architecture: Your Next Employer?

2023-05-08T15:23:00-04:00

Following last week’s visit to California-based McClean Design, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to Beijing this week, where we explore the work of OPEN Architecture.

Founded by Li Hu and Huang Wenjing, the firm established its Beijing office in 2008 after spending some formative years working on high-profile projects at Steven Holl Architects and Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. OPEN engages with architecture, urban design, landscape design, and interiors, as well as research. Earlier this year, we covered OPEN’s nomination for the Créateurs Design Award, while last year, we reported on the firm’s newly-designed campus center in Suzhou and their tent-like Yantai Sun Tower, both in China.

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently hiring an Architect to join its Beijing office. For candidates interested in applying for the position, or anybody interested in learning more about the studio’s work, we have rounded up five projects with unique geometric forms by OPEN Archit...

OPEN releases design for under-construction campus center in Suzhou

2022-05-12T13:54:00-04:00

OPEN Architecture has unveiled the design for a new campus center in the Chinese city of Suzhou. The Shangfeng Academy project, which topped out at the end of April, will be the site of a new K-12 international school and will also act as a cultural hub for the local community.

For this undertaking, OPEN was challenged with establishing a major new urban project while being mindful of the artistic and cultural tradition of the city.

The construction site.

The campus will serve close to 2,000 students and will include a library, art center, gymnasium, swimming pool, grand theater of 1,000 seats, a black box theater, and a forum. Given the variety of users and programs, OPEN decided to divide the school into five individual buildings interconnected by covered walkways. As a result, voids are formed, which make way for four gardens and semi-outdoor spaces. The walkways accommodate large numbers of students, and the gardens act as buffer zones.

A render of the Autumn garden and the for...

OPEN unveils new details on Yantai Sun Tower project

2022-02-15T14:41:00-05:00

Beijing-based firm OPEN Architecture has revealed the design of its under-construction Sun Tower project located in Yantai, China, a city along the coast of the Yellow Sea.

The tower, the recipient of the Jeu d’Esprit Special Prize of AR Future Project Awards 2021, comprises a semi-outdoor theater, a winding exhibition space, and a library in the sky. The structure also features a unique semi-outdoor space at the top, called a “phenomena space,” that allows visitors to observe natural phenomena throughout the year.

The city of Yantai wanted to create a landmark on the coast as a symbol of its rapid development and status as an industrial powerhouse in China. The name Yantai means “Beacon Tower,” derived from the series of watchtowers built during the Ming Dynasty to warn against impending attacks on the coastline. OPEN’s response to the design brief was to establish a purposeful structure that connected to this history and evoked the ancient rituals of nature worship while providin...

OPEN Architecture's new performance venue offers us a study in acoustical petrology

2021-12-01T15:04:00-05:00

A fascinating addition to the Chinese cultural program has come online this week with the completion of OPEN Architecture’s Chapel of Sound in Chengde, Hebei Province.

Overlooking the ruins of one of China’s most important historic sites, the Ming Dynasty-era Great Wall, the concert hall is made entirely of concrete and enriched with an admixture of minerally-heavy local rocks, encasing a semi-outdoor amphitheater, viewing platform, green room, and outdoor stage. A striated envelope is formed via a series of staggered cantilevers which rise from the rocks below to create an organic-looking profile its designers say is in perfect harmony with the surrounding landscape and sky above.

Inside the building, a slate of winding staircases meanders their way through the structure leading up to the rooftop which offers dynamic views of the valley and the nearby Great Wall.

The building’s form is derived principally from the outsized value the arc...

AIM Architecture has been crowned the overall winner of the 2021 AR Future Project Awards

2021-06-01T18:57:00-04:00

The winners of The Architectural Review Future Project Awards 2021 have been announced with AIM Architecture being crowned the overall winner for their FX Mayr Wellness Eco Retreat project in Wenzhou, China. The firm also picked up the award for Hotels and Leisure with the project.

Showcasing projects from around the world, this awards program celebrates excellence in unbuilt and incomplete projects.

A slew of notable firms were awarded in the competition. The Jeu d’Esprit award was won by OPEN Architecture for their work on the Sun Tower in Yantai, China, and the Sustainability Prize was awarded to Zaha Hadid Architects for their Forest Green Rovers Eco Park Stadium in Stroud, UK.

Other award winners include Stantec in the Cultural Regeneration category for their work on Musée du Fleuve in Niamey, Niger; Condition_Lab in the Residential category for their Mutating House project in Hunan Province, China; Acton Ostry Architects Inc. in the Offices/office-led development award for t...

OPEN completes new library/theater hybrid building for an international school in Shanghai

2021-01-21T13:02:00-05:00

As part of its work on the Shanhai Qinpu Pinghe International School, OPEN Architecture has completed the Pinghe Bibliotheater, a library/theater hybrid building that invites students into a free-flowing space of both learning and performance.

Photos by Jonathan Leijonhufvud.

"When we were given the extensive and jumbled-together program of a new school for 2000 students aged from 3 to 18 years, the immediate reaction was how dreadful it would be for a kid spending these many years fixed in one building," said the architects in a statement. "We decided to break away from the current trend of school-as-megastructure. Instead, the original program was deconstructed and grouped into many smaller and distinctive buildings, forming a village-like campus."

Photo by Jonathan Leijonhufvud.

Photo by WU Qingshan.

The Bibliotheater is just one of the many structures that will make up the new school. The different programs interlock like a "Chinese puzzle," creating a singular massing that is con...

Closer look: OPEN Architecture's Tank Shanghai, five fuel tanks converted into a contemporary art center and park

2020-04-01T13:47:00-04:00

Over the course of six years, OPEN Architecture transformed five decommissioned aviation fuel tanks into a vibrant contemporary art center and public park. Overlooking the banks of Shanghai's Huangpu River, the art center has attracted hoards of visitors and large cultural events since opening in March 2019.

With a site area of 47,448m2, the project was envisioned as an art museum and open park that embraces public life. The tanks are surrounded by sloping landscaped meadows that connect to the street and riverside.

Photo: INSAW Image.

Art Center Main Entrance. Photo: Qingshan Wu.

OPEN Architecture retrofitted the five tanks according to the program requirements for each of them. Tank 1 is a two-story live-performance house and bar that contains a drum-shaped inner tank with curving walls that improve the space's acoustics. Tank 2 is a restaurant organized around a circular central courtyard, which features a rooftop deck for dining.

Tank 3 interior. Photo: Qingsh...

OPEN Architecture turns 100-year-old fuel containers into "containers of culture"

2019-03-29T14:03:00-04:00

A project that took a little over six years to design and construct opened its doors this week along Huangpu River in Shanghai's West Bund. The brainchild of famed Chinese collector and businessman Qiao Zhbing, Tank Shanghai consists of five preserved oil tanks which are connected by OPEN architecture's "Super-Surface," a new ground that connects each tank underneath the surface. Along the Super-Surface is an Urban Forest which stretches along the entire site as well as two plaza spaces which will host ceremonies and events. The firm's goal was to pay tribute to the site's industrial past while creating a new urban life through a marriage of art and nature within the city.

Site's original condition before construction. Image courtesy of OPEN architecture

Historically, the site was the Longhua airport which stretched along Shanghai's Huangpu River. ...