Project Summary – Hushan Reservoir Environmental Education Center

The Hushan Reservoir Environmental Education Center is designed as a gateway between the natural and the engineered, connecting the public with the unseen infrastructure of water. Its architecture responds to the hillside terrain, unfolding across three levels that follow the natural slope and blur boundaries between architecture and landscape.

On the first floor, visitors enter through a sunken yard and pass through a shaded podium into the main lobby, where the showroom, multimedia room, and shop converge to create an immersive arrival sequence. The curvilinear layout echoes the contours of the site and guides the flow of movement toward key public programs.

The second floor houses the main exhibition area and classroom, supported by offices and service facilities. A zigzag corridor along the southern elevation brings in daylight through angled openings while framing dynamic views of the landscape. This linear spine is both an educational promenade and a climatic device, passively ventilating and illuminating the interior.

The roof level features a planted garden and rainwater basin, which serve as both a sustainable feature and an experiential learning space. Visitors ascend to the observation deck for panoramic views of the reservoir, gaining an appreciation for the water cycle from collection to consumption. Solar panels flank the deck, quietly reinforcing the project’s environmental message.

The center integrates sustainable strategies—solar energy, rainwater harvesting, and passive design—into an architectural language rooted in the site’s topography and educational purpose.

Architecture as a Medium of Environmental Education Situated between mountain and reservoir, the Hushan Environmental Education Center is more than a building—it is an educational landscape. The architecture embodies themes of water, ecology, and sustainability, guiding visitors to reflect on environmental coexistence.

A Site Bridging Nature and Infrastructure Perched at the reservoir’s edge and adjacent to a service facility, the center mediates between infrastructure and forest. Its form responds to the terrain, creating layers of outdoor terraces and green roofs that integrate seamlessly with the environment.

Curating a Spatial Journey The building unfolds as a sequence of experiences—from outdoor seating and lobby to exhibition spaces and a rooftop garden. Its circulation echoes a flowing stream, inviting discovery through gradual transitions in space, light, and elevation.

Framing the Landscape Rather than competing with its surroundings, the center shapes views through carefully framed openings and curved forms. The exhibition hallway, with its zigzagging wall, filters sunlight and creates a dynamic visual rhythm.

Architecture as Interface Designed to resonate with its mission, the building blends indoor and outdoor, structure and landscape. It serves not only as a shelter but also as a tool for understanding nature, connecting visitors to the land through material, light, and form.