Constellation Tower
Constellation Tower
People’s Architecture Office
UNIVERSITY LANDSCAPE CONSULTANT
Farmerson Architects
LIGHTING CONSULTANT
X Studio, School of Architecture, Tsinghua
DESIGN TEAM
Quanyue Yang, Hao Wen, Meng Zhang
PRINCIPALS
Zhe He, James Shen, Feng Zang
CHIEF CURATOR OF TANKO PARK
Rong Zhou
PHOTOGRAPHS
People’s Architecture Office, Yumeng Zhu, Nan Zhang
YEAR
2021
LOCATION
Mentougou, China
CATEGORY
Installations & Structures, Detail
Constellation Tower is located in TANKO Park in Mentougou, Beijing, next to the Sky light Public Restroom. As the tallest structure in TANKO Park, Constellation Tower is a public artwork that offers visitors impressive views of the surrounding landscape and mountains in the distance.
The TANKO Park is a new concept public space that combines multiple functions and can host different cultural and commercial activities.
Constellation Tower is located in a circular pool on the south side. This infinity pool is the source of water in the entire park. The pool is very shallow and can be entered and played with bare feet.
Constellation Tower is composed of five circular platforms that gradually shrink from bottom to top. The platforms have the same rotation angle and are staggered and spiraling upward.
Comprised of circular platforms encircling a central spiral staircase at varying elevations, each platform is strategically oriented toward distinct points of interest within and beyond the park.
These platforms also enable visitors to engage with each other by providing diagonal upward and downward sightlines. Constellation Tower adopts a round steel tube support frame structure. Except for the middle staircase column, which is a vertical column, the rest of the circular platforms are supported on diagonal columns (diagonal braces). Inclined columns (inclined braces) not only resist gravity, but also resist horizontal forces (wind, earthquake).
Unlike a pure frame structure that relies on the bending stiffness of the column to resist horizontal forces, the diagonal column (diagonal brace) structure can resist horizontal forces with the axial stiffness of the structure, which improves efficiency while reducing the cross-sectional size of the structure.
In addition to the main structure being round steel tubes, the handrails and uprights of the circular platforms and stairs are also made of round steel tubes of different cross-sections, showing a certain homogeneity under the white painting appearance.
Taking on the appearance of a three-dimensional constellation of elements, the Tower's triangulated structure conveys an impression of ethereal, suspended disks in space.
These disks feature perforations that permit the passage of sunlight or raindrops, producing captivating effects that are contingent on weather conditions.
The handrails and ground of each disc are designed with ring-shaped LED light strips. The five discs can show different color changes according to different usage scenarios.
Functioning as an iconic landmark within TANKO Park, the Tower of Rain plays an important role in guiding visitors and stands as a symbol of the park's popularity.
TANKO Park, a beloved public space, is renowned for hosting a plethora of cultural facilities and events, enriching the community's cultural experiences.
