"Reveal the New Center" frames the emergence of Yuhang District as a new urban core — shaped by the intersection of historical legacy, ecological landscape, and industrial transformation. The exhibition proposes a simple yet symbolic gesture: “revealing” the layers of a district as it transitions from peripheral farmland to a dynamic metropolitan node.
Departing from conventional city-branding showcases aimed solely at professional audiences, the exhibition rethinks its public reach. Structured as 1+4+X, the project includes one(1) central exhibition venue, four(4) satellite venues integrated into the city’s everyday public life, and a series of(X) independently organized extensions initiated by local enterprises — a framework designed to dissolve the boundary between civic life and urban planning discourse.
UNFOLD PLANE was invited by the curatorial team, Archidogs, to design the main central exhibition venue, which occupies the Digital Eco-Innovation Park — a site that was once part of Alibaba’s Campus B and has since been reimagined as an open platform for the city’s innovation economy. The venue itself embodies Yuhang’s ongoing transformation, both spatially and symbolically, as it evolves from a corporate enclave to a public-facing civic node.
The design reconsiders the conventional relationship between exhibition and audience. It avoids static, object-focused display logic and instead uses spatial sequencing to narrate the district’s unfolding story — from historical origins to future projections. A suspended panel system activates the full verticality of the venue’s 8-meter ceiling height, while a set of four thematic partitions structures the space: Historical Evolution, Visionary Blueprint, Dream-making Space, and Shared Prosperity Lifestyle.
A modular display language, built around 450mm cubic units, anchors both spatial rhythm and conceptual clarity. The act of “opening” these cubic forms becomes both a literal and symbolic device, reflecting the district’s shift toward openness and accessibility. This system not only articulates the content but encourages an active engagement with the physical and conceptual dimensions of the exhibition. The circulation strategy draws inspiration from Yuhang’s wetland ecologies. The exhibition route unfolds as a fluid, meandering path — offering visitors a layered spatial experience akin to navigating a chain of lakes. Freestanding models are set on lightweight platforms composed of recyclable aluminum profiles, which float like islands within this conceptual landscape. Sustainability is embedded in both the material selection and the construction logic.
The aluminum profiles, typically used in industrial settings, form a flexible assembly system designed for reuse beyond the lifespan of the exhibition. Components can be disassembled and recombined into new uses — from furniture to lighting to spatial installations — extending the material life cycle and reducing embodied energy.
Reveal the New Center coincides with a broader urban agenda, unfolding over several months through parallel programs: forums, creative markets, themed salons, and civic events. Together, they chart Yuhang’s evolution from its Liangzhu cultural origins to a contemporary model of integrated living — a place where the boundaries between urbanity, nature, and community are actively redefined.
Client:
Yuhang Municipal Government
Status:
Built
Team:
Architect: UNFOLD PLANE
Architect's Team: Zhoufan Chen, AIA, Feihao Ye
Curator and Graphic Design: ArchiDogs
Curator and Graphic Design Team: Sherry Xi Li, Lu-ming Chen, Li Liu, Jian Zhou, Yanhong Chu, Yibo Wang, Xiuxiu Wu, Wanting Zhong, Yirou Xu, Siyang Yang, Kai Chen
Photographer: Kejia Mei
Exhibitors:
Foster+Partners
OMA
Tadao Ando Architects & Associates
Zaha Hadid Architects
David Chipperfield Architects
Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)
Amateur Architecture Studio (Wang Shu)
Atelier FCJZ (Yung Ho Chang, Lijia Lu)
Atelier Deshaus (Liu Yichun)
AECOM
CallisonRTKL
Mitsubishi Jisho Sekkei
Tsushima Design Studio
gad
UAD
ZIAD
China CUC
Kris Yao | Artech
TJAD
CCTN
Huadong Engineering Corporation Limited
China Railway Siyuan Survey and Design Group
Shanghai Municipal Engineering Design Institute （Group） Co., Ltd. / Beijing General Municipal Engineering Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd.
Hangzhou Yuanlin Design Institute
