JDS Architects’ Beijing Green Visitor Center is a Sustainable Building You Can Walk On

<a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/jds-architects/">JDS Architects</a>' <a href="http://jdsa.eu/bgb/" target="_blank">Beijing Green Visitor Center</a> is a modern architectural marvel that welcomes visitors to walk right on top of it. The sloped structure is slated to be built in front of a new sustainable industrial park in order to connect the parking area with the rest of the facilities. The building's envelope can be manipulated to minimize energy loss from the climate and the sun, and it will be able to generate its own energy via a rooftop <a href="http://inhabitat.com/solar-power/">photovoltaic system</a>.

<a href="http://jdsa.eu/" target="_blank">JDS Architects</a> recently unveiled their plans for the Beijing Green Visitor Center, which will sit at the entrance to a new sustainable industry park.

The building serves as a welcome area for visitors and employees and joins the existing car park to the R&amp;D centre and the park loop.

The proposed site for the visitor center.

The building's volume is based on a serious of manipulations to protect it from its environs.

In this way, the original rectangular box is pushed and stretched to create an undulating roof, which is characteristic of JDS Architects design style.

This undulation is topped with a building integrated photovoltaic system on the portion that faces the south.

The stretching of the roof also serves to protect the interior from direct sunlight, glare and overheating, while still allowing for natural daylight to to enter the space.

Double height glass lets daylighting reach far into the interior.

In the winter, the sun is low enough to reach into the interior and heat up the floors that act as thermal mass and distribute warmth throughout the interior.

Moveable photovoltaic louvers on the south side further block direct light by absorbing it and generating energy.

Rainwater is also collected and stored in an underground cistern for use in the toilets and the park.

Visitors and employees can enter through the building or bypass the interior by walking over the top and gaining a different view of the surrounding park and landscaping

The sloped roof can also serve as seating and an amphitheater when required.