Expo Cultural Park Greenhouse Garden, China
Austrian studio Delugan Meissl Associated Architects has completed the Expo Cultural Park Greenhouse in China, engulfing a disused steelworks with a mass of curved glass pavilions. The 35-metre-tall greenhouse is one of the main attractions in the newly-opened southern section of the Expo Park, built on the former industrial area of Pudong in Shanghai. It is flanked by a pair of artificial hills built on top of a multi-storey car park and shrouded with 7,000 trees and man-made waterfalls.
The studio utilised its steel grid as a superstructure and trellis for the undulating glass, steel and aluminium forms of the 41,000-square-metre greenhouse. The geometries grow organically in between and around the strict existing grid, performing a vivid and natural silhouette that respects and never touches the remaining framework. According to DMAA, the contrast between the rigid geometry of the grid and the organic curved greenhouse reflects the site's juxtaposition of nature and industry, informed by the Chinese yin-yang symbol.
The Expo Cultural Park Greenhouse is composed of an entrance building and three distinct pavilions themed around different climates. The first pavilion mimics the arid environment of a desert, complete with artificial dunes and canyons, and filled with drought-tolerant plants. Its second pavilion is a lush tropical rainforest complete with swamps, waterfalls and tropical vegetation while the third features flower gardens and doubles up flexible space for travelling exhibitions. Visitors can follow a network of pathways through the pavilions and climb up to a terrace above, greeted by panoramic views over the adjacent lake and the rest of the park.
References:
