Meixi Urban Helix

Lead Designers Jean Sundin, Enrique Peiniger, Markus Fuerderer

Entry Description

Above Lake Meixi in Changsha, China, rises the Urban Helix where light and reflection unite the worlds of nature and man-made structure. The glowing spiral is a public space 35M high by 85M diameter with extraordinary 360-degree views of the water, the plaza below, and the surrounding city.

During the day, sunlight floods the Helix and the looming form is one sweeping, varying-width ramp stretching outward and vertically, creating uninterrupted sightlines. The ramp flows seamlessly onto an observation platform, tracing the shore’s perimeter, and continues over the plaza as a greenery-lined bridge. At nightfall it’s transformed into a flowing, luminous ribbon created by custom, LED luminaires with dual wallwash optical systems and bespoke radial connections that cast light from concealed uplight coves. The continuous band of light unfurls and inspires an eye-catching presence and sense of infinity, as visitors can see up, down and across without glare, while miniature points of sparkle provide initiative wayfinding.