Expo Cultural Park Greenhouse Garden / Delugan Meissl Associated Architects

Architects: Delugan Meissl Associated Architects
Area: 47000 m²
Year: 2024
Photographs: CreatAR Images
Structural Engineering: Bollinger + Grohmann Ingenieuere, Bollinger + Grohmann
Energy Design: Transsolar Energietechnik GmbH
Landscape Design: Yiju Ding
Design Team: Delugan Meissl Associated Architects
Executive Planning: SIADR
City: Pu Dong New Area
Country: China

The Expo Cultural Park Greenhouse Garden, designed by Delugan Meissl Associated Architects, is located in Shanghai, China, within the Expo Cultural Park, a former industrial site transformed into an urban green space. The project repurposes the steel structure of an old industrial hall, integrating organically shaped pavilions to symbolize the balance between industry and nature, tradition and future. A key objective was achieving a zero-energy greenhouse, utilizing single glazing, natural ventilation through adjustable roof openings, and photovoltaic panels beneath an adjacent pool. The three pavilions represent different ecosystems: a desert pavilion, a rainforest pavilion, and a vertical garden pavilion for exhibitions. The design addresses climate change, particularly water scarcity, with varying water levels serving as a symbolic statement, while the undulating facade reinforces the connection between architecture and nature.

Expo cultural park greenhouse garden / delugan meissl associated architects

The current era has increasingly recognized nature as the fundamental foundation of the living environment, placing it at the core of architectural design. In recent years, through its continued engagement with the specific challenges of greenhouse design, Delugan Meissl Associated Architects (DMAA) has cultivated extensive technical and cultural expertise in the field.

With a population of 23 million, Shanghai stands as a central hub for China’s urban and international development. The once sparsely populated industrial suburb of Pudong has transformed into one of Asia’s most striking high-rise skylines, with the Expo Cultural Park positioned at its core. However, the Shanghai region faces growing threats from unchecked urban expansion and climate change, including severe smog, water shortages, and rising temperatures. In response, national leaders are pursuing large-scale, radical measures aimed not only at preserving natural habitats but also at guiding China’s technological and economic advancements toward sustainability.

Before its transformation into the Expo Cultural Park, this inner-city recreational area was previously occupied by a coal-fired power plant and a steelworks before being remodeled for Expo 2010. As part of the Greenhouse Garden project, the steel framework of a former industrial hall was repurposed as a geometrical superstructure, later enhanced by organically shaped pavilions. The contrast between industry and nature, as well as tradition and future, reflects a historical turning point for Shanghai. The municipal administration’s decision to redevelop such a large, centrally located site into a high-quality leisure area highlights a broader urban trend—a commitment to intensifying greenery in the core zones of one of the world’s largest cities, situated in a subtropical climate.

Since greenhouses typically require high energy consumption, a key objective of this project was to develop a zero-energy building. This was achieved through the use of single glazing, a decision based on simulative calculations that demonstrated double glazing would be less efficient, as the reduction in heat loss would be outweighed by the increased need for artificial lighting for plant growth. Adjustable windows in the perforated roof allow for natural ventilation and passive cooling, ensuring an optimal climate for the plants. Moreover, a pool adjacent to the pavilions serves a dual function, offering cooling benefits while generating renewable energy through photovoltaic panels installed just below its surface.

The first pavilion replicates the extreme aridity of a desert, featuring a sandy and rocky landscape that serves as a habitat for drought-resistant plants, many of which face extinction worldwide. In contrast, the second pavilion houses tropical rainforest vegetation, while the third pavilion, with its vertical flower gardens, provides space for traveling exhibitions. A terrace above the pavilions offers panoramic views of the entire park and the surrounding urban landscape. Positioned between the three pavilions and the entrance building, and beneath the preserved steel structure, a large circulation space seamlessly integrates the project into the natural environment.

The network of pathways within and between the greenhouses introduces new spatial experiences. As visitors navigate through the sequence of spaces, they engage in a structured interaction with the architecture. Glazed parapets offer glimpses of movement, while subtle gradients influence the pace of exploration, either accelerating or slowing down progress.

The contrast in water levels between the desert and tropical vegetation reflects natural ecosystems while also presenting a global political perspective on the future availability of water, a critical issue intensified by climate change. In this context, the organically undulating facade serves as a leitmotif, not only shaping the internal organization of the space but also symbolizing the evolving and adaptable relationship between humans and nature.