Pyramid Scope | PAO | People’s Architecture Office

The ecosystems on which we depend appear stable, but are in fact extremely fragile. This contradiction inspired the Tower of Mirrors, an inflated fabric structure that appears metallic in material and robust in form.

Its structure references an Ecological Pyramid, which illustrates the amount of energy required to support humans at the very top of the food chain. An upright pyramid sits above the perimeter wall of the Kingway Brewery and can be seen by passers from a distance. Underneath the upright pyramid and hidden behind the wall is an inverted pyramid that visitors can come up close to. At the bottom tip of the pyramid, people are invited to look up into the hollow tubes, through the different levels above, and experience the kaleidoscopic effects and reflections of their artificial interiors.

Project name: Pyramid Scope

Project location: Kingway Brewery, Shenzhen, China

Design Company: People’s Architecture Office

Principals: He Zhe, James Shen, Zang Feng

Design team: Lin Mingkai, Wang Chengchen

Structural Consulting: Liu Su

Design time: August 2022-November 2022

Construction time: November 2022-December 2022

Client: The 9th Bi-city BiennaleI of Urbanism / Architecture （Shenzhen）

Sponsor: People's Government of Shenzhen

Chief Curators: Lu Andong, Wang Zigeng, Aric Chen

Photographer: UABB, People’s Architecture Office, Tang Yi