In the busy city of Shanghai, China, a singular architectural composition by Chinese studio Wutopia Lab unfolds as a dialogue between cultural heritage, mythology, history, form and function. Titled 'Klein Blue Hills and White Cliff', the wave-like shells nestled in the EKA Park are conceived to serve as a mixed-use cultural space. The project, its name derived from its characteristic roof, reimagines a former industrial yard and contributes to a larger initiative looking to transform the campus of the Shanghai Marine Instrument Factory in the Pudong district into a creative park and community hub. For Klein Blue Hills and White Cliff, Wutopia Lab targets the stockyard and duty room existing on the site, donning them in vibrant hues and a distinct expression. “I planned seven locations for the park, hoping that their sequential opening would activate the plot of the park. As the focus of the park, there is a thin connecting thread behind the Copper Blockhouse. The Klein Blue Hills and the White Cliff and the Copper Blockhouse are a family, they are two of the seven locations,” says YU Ting, chief architect of Wutopia Lab.  

Wutopia Lab, an architecture practice founded by Ting Yu, looks towards Shanghai's culture and lifestyle as a reference point. They harness architecture as a tool to catalyse sociological progress while focussing on the human. A juxtaposition of the various seams of urban life—traditional, mundane and cultural—comes to the fore to delineate an approach to developing contemporary Chinese aesthetics in architecture. The Chinese architecture studio dedicates itself to design that not only embodies a deep narrative but also emphasises planning, landscape integration and interior design.

The project is a cumulation of an array of references—symbols, metaphors, mythology, charms and history—as well as the spontaneous ideas of the architect. The structures, materials, site analysis and historical typologies that the team explored materialise as a framework that bridges the plot and the design. Cyan, or more specifically Klein blue in this case, the colour chosen for the east of the site, represents vitality—a reference drawn from The Golden Peaches of Samarkand, which confirms that WU Zetian used lapis lazuli to represent the sky. The Chinese architect further connects the project to the green mountains mentioned by Khanbaliq in The Travels of Marco Polo. “Extracting from this historical type, I designed the roof of the architecture as an undulating mountain shape, resembling a tent settling on the site. The inspiration for this tent came from the section on Wheeled tents of the Tartars that I came across when reconfirming the green mountains in Khanbaliq,” the architect elaborates. “Thus, initially, I named this building Klein Blue Tent,” he adds.

The undulating structure of the Klein Blue Hills, in the eyes of the designer, evokes the uncertainty of life—the incessant cycle of fluctuating moods, anxiety, nervousness and relief. This concept was moulded by his life experiences, specifically his wife Tangtang’s battle with illness and her calmness in the face of it. The skin of the building was chosen to be metal to represent this very resilience—a soft form clad in shiny armour. The aluminium panels are arranged in a pattern of fish skin to conform to the irregular shape.

In stark contrast to the shimmering exterior, the entire interior is painted white—a deliberate expression of unpredictability. The golden gate of the building stands for good memories, uplifting words and encouragement, while the circular orange window signifies blessings. “This is the birth of Klein Blue Hills, directly inspired by life. Under the undulating Klein Blue Hills, there is our ‘swaying world’,” shares the architect.

When working on designing the duty room, the design team decided to realise it in two layers—a translucent PVC fabric curtain wall outlines the white cliffs whereas the interior is a solid geometric form. This intervention, too, is an extension of Ting Yu’s experiences with his wife, how he stayed with her in isolation at the hospital during the pandemic and how she continued to be his “cane” despite the panic and worry she dealt with. Expanding on this thought, the architect notes, “We look at children from a high vantage point, assuming they need protection and are also vulnerable. However, our children may be resilient. Any setbacks they face will be a baptism for their future exciting lives. This forms the two-layer boundary of the white cliffs.” The leopard print in the interior design of the space recalls the love Tangtang developed for leopards and the encouragement she found in them during her struggles.

The flooring on site is kept minimal and features red concrete as the backdrop for the architectural complex. For the architect, intricate floor designs and landscape architecture are futile and a waste of resources. The chimney in the middle of the site is preserved and converted into a lighthouse and signpost. On the inside, changes are incorporated to accommodate a cigar lounge.

The frosted surface finish of fish-skin tiles makes the raindrops linger on the wall, creating an alluring illusion. Although the Klein Blue Hills was originally supposed to serve as a restaurant and the White Cliffs, as a bar, the spaces were decided to be vacant for better opportunities. The striking project comes to life as not just an architectural innovation, but also as a documentation of the architect’s personal life. His thoughts and emotions lay the foundation of the wave-like hills while his memories of both agony and hope fuel the very spirit of the site. What follows is an edifice that is inimitable, for each line, curve, angle and colour is a translation of the architect’s lived experiences, making them just as personal, if not more. Ting Yu goes on to conclude his official statement with a poem by YU Xiuhua that pacified him through the limbo:

“No one is in the rain,
No one is not in the rain.”