Hot Pot in a Forest in Chengdu? Leave the Hustle and Bustle Behind at Cloud-mirror Garden!

Chengdu has always been known as a laidback, leisurely city. However, when it comes to Chengdu, the first thing that comes to people’s minds is “Chengdu Hot Pot”.
Photo by MUDA-Architects

Near the end of 2018, MUDA-Architects begin their reconstruction of hotpot restaurant, 雲境．花園 (Yunijng Garden, or literally translated to “Cloud-mirror Garden”) in beautiful Sansheng, Chengdu. Sansheng is known as “The Green Lung of Chengdu”, as it is endowed with abundant natural resources and crystal-clear air. At a small corner of the city, MUDA chooses to integrate hotpot culture with the natural greenery around it, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

It is at this very corner our modern mode of consumption crosses-over with our respect for nature—creating a personalised dining experience.
Photo by MUDA-Architects

Yunjing Garden Hot Pot Restaurant parks itself at a hinterland hugged by a large lotus pond and hidden in a luscious forest. Its design premise pays respect to the natural environment, absolutely no walls are built between the restaurant and the ecology surrounding it. Pillars and plates that ground the structure are hidden in the forest. The edges of the pond blur seamlessly into the restaurant outline.

“Clour-mirror Garden” blends into ecology gently, smoothly, and quietly.The steam from the hotpot lingers into the air, and in that moment, guests are suspended in a fantasy world.

A steel column with the diameter of 88mm is the main supporting structure for Yunjing Garden, it camouflages into the greens with countless eucalyptus tree trunks around it, seemingly disappears into nature. Wooden fences hug the pond so visitors can admire water lilies that rise and fall, and squats that move slightly in the wind. Low railings blur the boundary between building space and lake; it closes the gap between human and nature.

This marvellous architecture has the total length of 290 meter, and its net height is 3 meters. Yunjing Garden is wide and doesn’t disrupt the natural habitat. Rather, it takes the shape of the natural environment. Its platform is built from anti-corrosion wood, the top roof is made of galvanised steel. White fluorocarbon paint of the structure complements the lush surrounding perfectly.

The eucalyptus trees in this complex ecosystem are all carefully preserved within the design range. The terrain the restaurant is built on naturally undulates, with the maximum drop of nearly 2 meters. Minimising human intervention, MUDA architects personally inspected the site for records, and designed according to the location of eucalyptus and lake. Yunjing Garden’s roof free-curve is created because of both its function, and the characteristics of the site.