Sky Mirrors
Tribute to nature
The liquor culture experience center of Langjiu estate in Luzhou is a tribute to nature.
Located at the top of the mountain, the building is completely buried. It hides underground to keep intact the breathtaking view of the sky and the mountains in the distance.
Global Design & Architecture Design Awards 2023
Third Award | Cultural (Built)
Project Name: “SKY MIRRORS” Jingtiantai Cliffs Liquor Culture Experience Centre Of Langjiu Estate
Category: Cultural (Built)
Studio Name: Zone of Utopia + Mathieu Forest Architecte + LIN Xiaoguang Studio
Design Team:
Lead Designer: Qiang ZOU , Mathieu FOREST, Xiaoguang LIN
Project Manger: Teng ZENG
Team: Di WU, Zhuang WANG, Jia MA, Fang GAO, Qijun XUE, Arnaud MAZZA, Edgardo BARROS TORO,Yihe XIE, Gaofeng LI, Caiping YANG, Yuyan ZOU, Zhonglun WAN, Wenqian HAN, Qian SHEN, Lyu LYU.
Area: 3688 square meters
Year: 2019-2021
Location: Erlang, Luzhou, China
Consultants:
Photography Credits: ARCH-EXIST, Li ZHOU
Water mirror
Arriving to the site, we discover a water mirror 80 meters wide, which amplifies by doubling the view of the landscape and extends the sky to infinity. From this point of view, we do not yet perceive the interior life of the building nor the view of the valley. We only see the landscape, its reflection and between the two, the surreal image of a mirror volume suspended in the void.
Then we sink gently below ground level, taking a curved ramp framed by concrete walls in hues evocative of rock and historic caves that store alcohol. Are these walls the traces of an ancient archaeology?
Artificial sky
It slips under the water mirror which is also a mirror below. The immateriality of the mirror contrasts with the thickness of the walls anchored in the rock.
The back of the water mirror also gives the illusion of being under water.
This large mirrored ceiling is actually a large artificial sky. It reflects the hanging lamps and creates a punctuation of stars.
The first tasting room gives a view of the mountain cleared of all human intervention and presence. The bottles are staged along a huge showcase like a scholarly library.
Constellations
A little further on, an intimate room preserves the most precious bottles.
Finally, we enter the large tasting room and discover through a one-piece window, without joinery, the breathtaking view of the valley.
The mirror ceiling magnifies the view of the valley, in the same way as the water mirror magnified the view of the sky.
At night, the multitude of lit lamps and their reflections in the ceiling create a starry sky, this artificial sky is in turn reflected in the glazing of the facades. The real sky merges with that created by architecture. Illusion game.
Weightlessness
The visit continues with the ascent of an unexpected staircase that soars towards the sky. Arriving at the top of this staircase, we walk on a footbridge suspended in the void. This belvedere gives a view of the landscape in all its directions and a feeling of intoxication in the face of the immensity of the landscape and the audacity of the men.
The journey continues towards the exit. We go up slowly towards the level of the road.
