An urban gateway inspired by nature, culture, and movement in Yibin

The Yibin High-Speed Rail Station Gateway Development is a nearly 9-million square-foot district that redefines the city’s identity from a layover station to an urban destination in western China. The transformative plan introduces a dynamic urban center organized around a high-speed rail station and features eight mixed-use towers, a central park, a digital art museum, and a vibrant retail and cultural district. Set against the backdrop of Yibin’s distinctive hilly terrain and the Shunan Bamboo Forest – China’s largest and oldest bamboo national park – the design draws from the region’s landscape and ecological character. 

The scheme's massing has been created in response to the neighboring landforms, echoing the virtues of interconnectivity, resilience, and adaptability associated with the bamboo plant and its rhizomatic root system. The development integrates Yibin’s natural waterways and topography to create a walkable, car-free district considering pedestrian circulation and the daily needs of a growing community.    

Celebrating a culturally rich heritage  

The development’s central showcase is a fully integrated, multi-layered park anchored by a collection of multi-functional pavilions. Shaped by the dramatic karst topography formed by the Yangtze River tributaries, the undulating terrain integrates flexible workplaces within an ecologically sustainable setting. The master plan incorporates green roofs, planted terraces and open-air pedestrian streets that emulate the layers of the forest floor. Central to the design is a cluster of eight sculptural towers inspired by the form and resilience of bamboo. Their composition, ranging from 23 to 33 stories, is grouped in rhythmic bundles with curvature and vertical articulation that echo natural forms.

A new destination for digital art

The park's focus is a new digital art museum, distinguished by its sculptural facade clad in aluminum panels, which also serves as an innovative structural mesh shell resulting in large column-free exhibition spaces. The museum hosts rotating exhibitions that celebrate digital innovation, art, and Yibin's cultural identity. 

Sustainability strategies for low-carbon urban living  

The project’s sustainability strategies include facade systems that incorporate fresh-air ventilation, rain canopies, and abundant daylighting with low solar heat gain, along with living roofs throughout the development. Several retail buildings use the first reconstituted bamboo planar truss structures in Sichuan Province.