As Bjarke Ingels, guest editor of Domus 2025, has taught, having designed in 2013 a ski slope on the sloping roof of a waste-to-energy plant nestled like a mountain in the flat Copenhagen landscape, sport can be an effective engine to trigger lively urban energies. This seems to be the guiding principle behind Clou Architects' design for the Wuhan Ski Resort, a multifunctional complex for snow and leisure enthusiasts which stands out with the magnificence of a territorial landmark on the shores of a lake in the Huangpi district, near the historic city of Mulan.
A new Mecca for snow (and fun) lovers is now in Wuhan
Close to the architecture of ancient and modern China, CLOU Architects has designed a multifunctional complex as a disruptive territorial landmark, propelling new sporty and social energies.
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- Chiara Testoni
- 30 January 2025
- Wuhan, Hubei, China
- CLOU Architects
- 178.000 sqm
- retail, sports
- 2024
The cyclopean project (about 178,000 square metres) includes winter sports (but not only) facilities (following the enthusiasm generated by the Beijing Winter Olympics), hotels, theme parks, clubs and entertainment services, according to a formula of continuous opening that takes visitors from the slopes to the nightlife. And it is precisely the vertiginous 500 m long and 100 m high indoor ski slope that gives the composition its imprint: a sloping volume that dynamically stretches out over the landscape, covered by a façade panelling that evokes a pattern of pixels on which light plays.
To complete the masterplan, a weave of buildings for receptive, commercial and cultural purposes in the bright colours of Lego bricks, interconnected by squares, streets and green spaces, aims to reinforce the attractiveness of the site as a joyful landmark for sporty people and bon vivants.
- Jan F. Clostermann
- Zhi Zhang, Sebastian Loaiza, Zihao Ding, Liang Hao, Yiqiao Zhao, Christopher Biggin, Principia Wardhani, Artur Nitribitt, Jing Shuang Zhao, Liu Liu, Yinuo Zhou, Yuan Yuan Sun, Haiwei Xie
- WATERLILY Design Studio
- China Construction Shen Zhen Decoration Co., ltd
- Zhe Jiang Urban Construction Planning and Design Institute
- Wuhan Urban Construction Group
- CSADI