Project Name: Aranya Jinshanling Wilderness Botanical Garden

Location: Chengde City, Hebei Province, China

Design Firm: STUDIO YUDA

Area: 199 m²

Completion Year: 2024

Photographer: Liu Songkai

Feature：

Project - STUDIO YUDA has completed the Aranya Jinshanling Wilderness Botanical Garden, a contemplative concrete and timber structure nestled within the rugged landscape of Chengde, China, that serves as both an educational facility and a sanctuary for native plant species.

The 199-square-meter building, completed in 2024, emerges from its mountainous context as a sophisticated interplay between architectural intervention and natural wilderness. The design team, led by Guo Yuchen, Yang Siqi, and Zhan Bodi, has crafted a space that deliberately blurs the boundaries between built form and organic environment.

"The project's core mission was to create a space that doesn't merely display nature but actively participates in its preservation while fostering a deeper human connection with the wilderness," explained the architects.

The building's most striking feature is its U-shaped layout, which wraps around a central courtyard. Floor-to-ceiling windows have been strategically positioned to capture natural light and create dynamic shadow play with interior plantings, while the relocated northern entrance guides visitors through a carefully choreographed journey past monolithic rocks and indigenous vegetation.

The two-story structure houses an exhibition space on the ground floor, while the upper level – distinguished by its generous height and abundant skylights – functions as a workshop space for botanical education and craft activities. This vertical programming creates a narrative journey from observation to active engagement with nature.

Materials were chosen for their ability to age gracefully and complement the surrounding landscape. Raw concrete pathways and structural elements provide a contemporary counterpoint to ancient stone formations, while methadone pine boards and reclaimed timber introduce warmth and tactility to the interior spaces.

Perhaps most notably, the project demonstrates remarkable restraint in its detailing.

The architects have eschewed decorative elements in favor of allowing the inherent beauty of materials and natural light to define the space, creating what they describe as "a sanctuary where wilderness is not merely observed but experienced as an integral part of daily life."

Design Team - STUDIO YUDA, established in 2016 with dual headquarters in Shanghai and Nashville, is an emerging multidisciplinary design practice that has rapidly gained recognition for its innovative approach to architectural design, landscape architecture, interior design, and installation art. The firm was co-founded by four visionary architects: Guo Yuchen, Zhan Bodi, Yang Siqi, and Alex Darsinos, who collectively bring diverse international perspectives to their practice.

The studio's design philosophy is deeply rooted in the exploration of spatial narratives through materiality, chromatic composition, and tectonic expression. Their work demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of the dialectic between ephemerality and permanence in architectural discourse, consistently pushing the boundaries of contemporary design while maintaining a profound respect for context and human experience.

Operating across various scales and typologies, STUDIO YUDA has developed a distinctive portfolio characterized by its thoughtful integration of form, function, and phenomenological considerations. The practice's commitment to experimental design methodologies, coupled with rigorous attention to construction detailing, has established them as an influential voice in China's emerging architectural scene.

Based in Shanghai's historic Xuhui District, the studio continues to expand its practice through a collaborative approach to design, fostering dialogue between Eastern and Western architectural traditions.