Set within the mountainous landscape of Guiyang, the AYDC Public Art Center designed by Atelier XI rethinks the idea of a cultural complex as an open constellation of spaces dispersed throughout nature. Developed in 2022 for AYDC, short for A Yun Duo Cang, a phrase rooted in the Yi language meaning “our land of dreams”, the project was conceived as a place where artistic expression, community life, and experimentation could evolve together within a landscape shaped by the geography of Guizhou Province.
Rather than concentrating all functions inside a single structure, the architects fragmented the original program into a series of independent pavilions woven across the terrain. Each intervention maintains its own spatial identity while remaining visually and conceptually linked to the others, forming a decentralized environment intended to encourage spontaneous encounters, performances, and collective activity. The strategy allows the surrounding landscape to remain an active presence within the experience of the site instead of serving merely as a backdrop.
The architectural language draws heavily from the karst caves native to the region. Eroded geological formations became the starting point for sculptural volumes shaped through subtraction, where voids, light, and shadow define the interiors. Suspended pointed arches carved into the structures generate spaces that feel both monumental and intimate, revealing a careful tension between solidity and openness.
Three central elements organize the complex: the Xima Library, the Ginkgo Chapel, and the Dali Stage. Each was designed around a different sensory relationship with the environment. The library engages directly with water, the chapel opens itself toward the sky, and the stage responds to the atmosphere of the night landscape. Together, they establish distinct settings for reading, contemplation, and public performance.
Positioned beside a reflective body of water, the Xima Library becomes one of the most striking presences within the project. Surrounded seasonally by fallen ginkgo leaves, the structure combines a rectilinear exterior with a luminous metallic dome nested inside its volume. Reflections shifting across the water intensify the building’s changing appearance throughout the day, while natural light filters into the interior with a quiet theatricality.
Through its dispersed composition and strong connection to the terrain, the AYDC Public Art Center proposes a model of cultural space shaped by movement, atmosphere, and collective participation. Architecture here becomes inseparable from the rhythms of the landscape and the creative communities it was designed to support.
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Project details:
Architects: Atelier XI
Lead Architects: Chen Xi
Area: 236 m²
Year: 2024
Location: Guiyang, China
Photo: (c) Chao Zhang