Prairie Ark And Nomads’ Beacon Tower Turn The Grassland Into An Architectural Conversation

Shengliang Su

Prairie Ark and Nomads’ Beacon Tower are a paired architectural project in Ulanqab, China, designed by BUZZ / Büro Ziyu Zhuang. The two buildings are meant to work as a contrasting system: one is low, buried, and horizontal; the other is tall, exposed, and vertical.

Prairie Ark is the more grounded of the two. It sits partly embedded in the terrain, with a disc-like form that follows the slope of the land instead of fighting it. The roof extends the ground plane, access happens from multiple points rather than one ceremonial entrance, and the interior is kept open and flexible for exhibitions, performances, and community events. The design uses raw local materials and treats weathering as part of the building’s life.

h/t: archdaily

Shengliang Su

Nomads’ Beacon Tower does almost the opposite. It rises from a small island on Laoli Lake and uses the logic of ancient beacon towers to create a highly visible landmark across the grassland.

Shengliang Su

Together, the two buildings create a kind of architectural dialogue between earth and horizon, shelter and signal, stillness and visibility. That contrast is what makes the project memorable: it is not just two buildings, but two different ways of answering the same landscape.

Shengliang Su

Shengliang Su

Shengliang Su

Shengliang Su

Shengliang Su

Shengliang Su

Shengliang Su

Shengliang Su