The new pavilion by BIG in Suzhou has been inaugurated

BIG, the architecture firm founded by Domus guest editor Bjarke Ingels, has completed the Jinji Lake Pavilion in Suzhou, China. Designed to blend into the landscape of Jinji Lake, the permanent pavilion will serve as a meeting place and rest area along the 13km-long lakeshore promenade. With the city's aim of enriching the urban network, the pavilion pays homage to the traditional Chinese courtyard typology, which has been reduced to the canons of a modern public space.

The project by BIG and Arts Group consists of four separate buildings that create a meeting place based on an alternation of enclosed and open spaces. The pavilion is Big's first completed building in Suzhou and is located close to the Suzhou Museum of Contemporary Art, which will be completed in the coming months.

Bjarke Ingels, founder of BIG and Domus guest editor 2025

The Jinji Pavilion has been designed with full respect not only for Chinese architectural tradition, but also for the most modern and sustainable construction techniques and the deepest vocation of the site, where the light reflected by the water of the lake plays the leading role. To pay homage to its most poetic value, the perforated panels cast shaded shadows and evoke the leaf motif of the surrounding trees, while offering optimal thermal performance.

Catherine Huang, Partner, BIG

The large windows allow the occupants of the pavilion to engage in a dialogue with the landscape outside, whose greenery and light are enhanced by the steel panels that reflect the colours, creating an inseparable link between the pavilion and the park.