The pavilion of "Thousand Courtyards" - Vanke Pavilion of the 2019 Beijing World Horticultural Expo

PAN-Architecture was invited to and won the competition for the 2019 Beijing World Horticultural Expo Vanke Pavilion. The pavilion is assembled from modular components with five functions; each module connects to neighbors at corners, forming continuous interior spaces beneath a rooftop urban garden. The expo site lies between central Beijing and a winding northern river valley, a growing leisure destination chosen to promote healthy coexistence between people and nature. The Courtyard of a Thousand Courtyards sits on the west side; visitors enter from the east, follow paths to the central plaza as a hub, then disperse to functional zones. On the north is a food court with restaurant, bar, tea houses and a multi-function hall; the west holds a large indoor greenhouse with rare plants; the south is the education and exhibition center. All functions weave through a modular, plant-covered system whose roof becomes a public garden. The pavilion became one of the most photographed exhibits of the expo, praised for its light modular construction and its rooftop garden that visitors could wander freely.