We are thinking about can this project be an opportunity for us to try a new attitude and method to re-establish a harmonious and friendly relationship between the natural environment and artificial creations.

The relationship between the buildings and the environment reflected by the village, farmland and mountains is not only the inheritance of the local people's concept of natural Fengshui, but also a positive response to the geographical and climatic conditions. The ancients lived in this land, thinking about how to obtain living resources from nature, and at the same time keep the land in a state of vitality and stability. They use the simplest but most intelligent construction method to take root here, nourish and protect the living space under their feet in their daily life, and shape the consanguinity of the people, nature and the architecture.

Inspired by the relationship between the local ancient villages and nature, the concept of settlement is adopted to transform the super-scale building of the "conference center" that integrates all functions into "conference and camp" buildings with scattered functions, making it be dissolved in the mountains.

This group of buildings hidden in the mountains should inherit the traditional wisdom of the local, be eclectic like a sponge, flexibly and strategically absorb natural air, light, and accommodate human activities to create a natural, open, porous and flowing form of conference center. 

In order to realize such a group of buildings, combining the complexity of the site, and exploring a simple, authentic, and easy-to-build structural form becomes the key. In order to reflect the blood relationship between people, activities and architectural space in expressive structures and materials, the earliest conceived structural unit consists of a one-way long-span arch beam and a reinforced concrete structure wall supporting the arch beam at both ends constitute. The arch-beam structural units can be replicated and superimposed and constantly change with the mountain, and there are naturally many holes and gaps between the structures, so that natural light can penetrate into the interior of the building, thus completely breaking the conventional black space meeting mode. Considered from a construction point of view, the architectural form is the structural form itself, with almost no envelope.

A lot of inverted single-curved arches that hang down and are full of structural tension are repeatedly combined and changed as roof units, which is a metaphor for the mutated Chinese double-eave architectural form. The unique elastic eaves curves in ancient buildings and the slightly recurved roof language formed by the raised frames are fully captured in Zijing International Conference Camp's huge curved surfaces, which are layered and full of changing rhythms. The staggered arches change the refraction and diffusion of light to adjust natural light, combined with the opening and closing of skylights and the control of curtains, the indoor space realizes the maximum possibility of natural lighting and ventilation.

The concept of "incomplete integrity" in Zhu Pei’s design philosophy of "Architecture of Nature" is strongly reflected in this project, and the full integration of architecture and nature is realized from three dimensions.

First of all, from the horizontal dimension, the settlement form presents uneven contour edges on the boundary with nature, so that it forms an organic weaving, stitching, and integration with the natural environment, eliminating the boundary between the building and the natural environment. Secondly, in the vertical dimension, the unit structure system also shows the advantages of mountainous architecture to the greatest extent. It can be stacked up and down with the trend of the mountain.

These experiences have subverted the experience that conventional conference buildings and hotel buildings can bring to people, combining the seriousness of conference activities with people's leisure through the shaping of the environment.

Under the vaulted roof of the first unit of several large and medium-sized conference units, there are several concrete special-shaped columns with different cross-sections, standing in front of the main entrance in a seemingly random manner. The stacked and staggered special-shaped columns change in width and narrowness as the viewing angle moves. The oblique light passing through the hard and round columns is captured as the warm glazed luster of the concrete surface and the intertwined light and shadow.

In order to respond to the southern climate, a series of gray spaces are created. The meeting rooms of different spatial scales are connected with corridors, walkways, and platforms under the eaves. The wide eaves provide shade and shelter from the rain, creating shadows in the hot summer of Jingdezhen. Such a sponge-like porous building can not only contain sunlight, air, and sound, but more importantly, it can carry human activities and emotions.

Morning sun and mist, lingering rain and insects, at any time, Zijing International Conference Camp gives people a peaceful, simple and soothing feeling of living.