As the capital of Shanxi province, Taiyuan is an example of a second tier Chinese city developing at break neck speed. The River Heights Pavilion is situated on the outskirts of Taiyuan along the edge of its famous Fen River. This is an urban project located in the middle of suburbia.

The River Heights Pavilion is built on a typical blank slate site, yet counters the trend of low density housing developments. Within this empty context, urbanity is rendered within the building’s interior, with spaces organized to offer unique relationships between various activities. Imagine, for example, you standing in the lobby watching a performance, beyond which there is a lounging couple in the courtyard, while above, office workers leave their desks to join a party in the adjoining roof deck. 

The design of the River Heights Pavilion consists of replicated linear blocks of varying lengths. Each block houses a unique programmatic element, such as exhibition, lounge, and office. In form, the blocks alternate between single and double story heights, while interiors alternate between cool and warm materials and finishes. This organization provides two completely different spatial experiences. Vertically looking down the length of an individual block, one sees the depth of a unified space extending uninterrupted to the exterior landscape. Horizontally, one’s view penetrates diagonally through discrete layers of shallow spaces that reveal various activities juxtaposed. Furthermore, there is a stacking of views through the interior, exterior, interior, and exterior again. The landscape design is an undulating extension of these linear blocks, each grassy strip separated by Corten steel.