Floating Pavilion / Daxing Jizi Design

Architects: Daxing Jizi Design
Area: 400 m²
Year: 2023
Photography: Chao Zhang
Lead Architect: Zhenwei Zeng
Project Coordinator: Qiongzhi Xie
Lighting Design: Cavallino
On Site Assembly: Youfu Huang, Tao Xiong, Yunshan Wei, Youqiang Zheng, Guangjin Yang
Promotion Support: Caizi Xiao
Client: Shenzhen Longgang Vanke Plaza Commercial Co., Ltd.
Support: Shenzhen ALLGEM Interactive Technology Co., Ltd.
City: Shenzhen
Country: China

Floating Pavilion, an installation by Daxing Jizi Design in Shenzhen, redefines public space through a jellyfish-inspired design. Completed in 2023, the project uses light and organic forms to transform a traditional urban square into a creative, tranquil environment. The installation encourages interaction, supports community activities, and provides a space for contemplation, enhancing the connection between people, the city, and nature. Showcased at the 3rd Public Urban Festival “Let’s Gala” at Longgang Vanke Plaza, the installation features glowing pavilions arranged in a matrix, transforming the urban square into an imaginative space at night. The organic forms and immersive lighting offer a serene environment for relaxation and reflection, fostering a deep connection with local culture and exploring new possibilities for urban public life.

Inspired by ancient marine plankton, particularly jellyfish, the Floating Pavilion combines the delicate, umbrella-like form of jellyfish with vibrant colors, creating a space that encourages “floating thought” and a surreal experience of light. This design is not a mere replication of natural forms but an exploration of realism and abstraction. The installation introduces a new dimension of existence and emotion, allowing for a reimagining of the relationship between people, the city, and nature. The softly glowing structure intervene in the urban nightscape, offering a place of inclusivity and tranquility that contrast with the city’s usual hustle and bustle. Visitors can immerse themselves in the pavilion, experiencing a sense of deceleration and engaging in moment of reflection.

Located in Longgang district’s central square, the installation revitalizes the space, transforming it into an artful park and a venue for nighttime cultural events. The design includes two scales of luminous structures, forming a composition of one large pavilion and three medium-sized pavilions. Translucent inflatable film covers the metal frames, creating a lightweight, curved surface with a hazy texture under the light. The film’s sunshade and waterproof qualities make the pavilions suitable shelters for unpredictable summer weather. Inspired by natural organism, the film surfaces feature shades of green, purple, and yellow, with an RGB lighting system programmed to shift colors gradually, synchronizing with the breathing rhythm of jellyfish and humans.

The metal framework of the jellyfish-like-structures is traced with bright orange lines, creating a cohesive color scheme. The straps, which form the primary support structure, allow for flexible adaptation to various weather conditions. During hot summer days, the straps accommodate the expansion and contraction of the film surfaces. In extreme weather, like typhoons, the film structure can be deflated and secured to ensure stability.

The installation’s core structure is a large pavilion with a diameter of 7 meters and a height of 5.5 meters, serving as a visual landmark resembling a giant jellyfish. This pavilion, combined with the integrated sound installation, offers an immersive experience between light and shadow. Surrounding the large pavilion, three medium-sized pavilions, arranged in an equilateral triangle, are designed closer to human scale, encouraging interaction. The original design also proposed three small “jellyfish” loungers filled with liquid luminescent material as public resting spots, but this concept was not realized due to site management constraints. However, the large and medium pavilions offer a serene space where visitors can gather and enjoy the illuminated environment, fostering a sense of community.

Daxing Jizi Design’s practice blends architectural design with artistic expression, often drawing inspiration from nature and using light as a medium. Their installations aim to balance aesthetics and functionality, creating spaces that engages the public. In a time dominated by social media, their work provides an authentic, distinct experience that counters the isolation often felt in urban environments.

The installations act as carriers of personal emotions, offering tranquility and joy while facilitating community interaction and strengthening the sense of belonging. By creating “cohesion facilitators” in community life, these works promote the flow, connection, and resonance of urban culture and economy.