Osmosis 관광 센터 by Cen Shen and Changsong Li is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award 동상 in 건축, 건물 및 구조물 디자인 Competition Category.
동건축· 2026
Osmosis 관광 센터
Client: Changsong Li & Cen Shen
A' Design Award 동상 Winner in 건축 Category
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About Osmosis 관광 센터
오스모시스(Osmosis)는 미국 텍사스주 엘패소에 위치한 관광 및 교육 센터이다. 이 디자인은 건조한 지역 경관 속 마른 연못의 기하학적 형태에서 영감을 얻었다. 유기적인 곡면은 선직 원뿔 기하학으로 변환되어, 물결치는 지붕을 직선형 강재 보와 모듈형 패널로 시공할 수 있도록 하였다. 지붕 가장자리에 감춰진 홈통은 빗물을 모은다. 육중한 다짐흙 벽체는 층고 전체 높이의 유리벽과 조화를 이룬다. 다공적인 배치는 중앙 안뜰을 중심으로 구성되어 방문객을 주변 지형과 연결한다.
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award 동상
Osmosis 관광 센터, 이 작품은 A' Design Award 동상 수상작으로, 창의성, 독창성, 영민함으로 돋보이는 뛰어난 디자인에 수여되는 높은 권위의 인정입니다. 동상 수상작은 충분히 숙련되고 인상적으로 창의적인 작품으로, 디자이너의 폭넓은 경험, 상상력, 기지를 입증합니다. Osmosis 관광 센터, 이 작품은 높이 평가받고 감탄과 사랑을 받는 사물로서 두드러지게 전문적이고 혁신적일 것으로 기대됩니다. 이 동상 수상 디자인은 예술, 과학, 디자인, 기술의 모범 사례를 담고 있으며 세부에 대한 주의로 훌륭합니다. Osmosis 관광 센터, 이 작품은 필요를 훌륭하게 충족하고 욕망에 닿으며 감정을 매료하고 호기심을 불러일으킵니다.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- Reflecting the concept of osmosis, the center's non-centric layout allows tourists to feel like an integral part of the landscape. By contrasting heavy rammed earth with transparent all-glass walls, the architecture dissolves physical barriers, fully absorbing visitors into the terrain. Additionally, the undulating roof responds directly to El Paso’s arid climate, utilizing concealed gutters for a vital water collection system that ensures long-term ecological resilience.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Osmosis is a large-scale civic infrastructure organized around a central radial courtyard. The technical envelope combines high thermal mass rammed earth walls and expansive structural glazing, optimized for arid climates. The conical roof spans are constructed using straight steel beams mapped to conical generators, supporting modular panels and concealed stormwater gutters. The facility houses tourism and education centre function spaces.
- Tags
- Parametric Architecture, Migrant Service Center, Geometric Rationalization, Conical Geometry, Porous Space, Rammed Earth Construction, Sustainable Infrastructure, Border Architecture
- Production Technology
- Osmosis uses geometric rationalization to translate organic surfaces into ruled conical geometries. Mapping a structural grid along the cones' straight-line generators allows efficient construction of complex curvature using straight members and modular roof panels. Concealed gutters within the roof's edges preserve the undulating canopy's seamless purity, while full-height glass walls dissolve visual boundaries to maintain an uninterrupted connection with the landscape.
- Design Challenge
- The main challenge was translating fluid ecological concepts into buildable architecture. Socially, the design shifts historical paradigms of environmental exploitation toward ecological education. Externally, harsh regional climates dictated strict parameters. Production limits were overcome using advanced parametric technology, rationalizing complex undulating curvatures into modular conical geometries to enable cost-efficient construction using strictly straight steel members.
- Research
- This applied research designed a cost-efficient, climate-responsive sanctuary. Using structural, solar, and sightline simulations alongside climate data, various roof geometries were tested. Simulated tourist viewpoints, water-saving calculations, and material metrics determined the optimal shape. Results proved this form maximizes daylight control, water harvesting, and nature views while significantly reducing structural costs. This offers an economical, ecological hub that deeply absorbs visitors.
- Inspiration
- The primary inspiration for this project stems from the severe environmental crises of water depletion and soil salinization in the arid landscapes of El Paso. Observing the profound disconnect between human infrastructure—specifically the forceful industrial separation of water and salt through desalination—and the fragile ecosystems it occupies, the design emerged as an architectural counter-narrative.
Operating as an ecological tourism and education center, the project is motivated by the need to attract visitors while actively educating the public about these pressing environmental urgencies. The central motive is to foster a profound union between humanity and the natural environment through the conceptual framework of "osmosis," seeking to heal the separation between people and the ecology they inhabit.
Furthermore, the formal language and shape of the building are directly inspired by the El Paso terrain itself, capturing the stark realities of regional water scarcity. Specifically, the architectural massing and undulating rooflines draw upon the distinct geometry of a dry pond, serving as a direct visual and spatial allusion to the parched earth and the environmental narrative driving the design. - Project Duration
- Developed as an architectural project in 2023 , Osmosis is situated at El Paso, Texas.
- Operation Flow
- This undulating canopy transforms flat surfaces into a flowing wave. It isn't "operated" by machines, but by nature: visitors interact by walking beneath its shifting heights, moving between airy, sunlit peaks and shaded, intimate dips. It performs significantly better than a standard flat roof because these precise curves naturally channel rare rainwater into concealed edges and optimize cooling airflow, creating a highly efficient, climate-responsive desert oasis.
- Team Members
- Changsong Li, Cen Shen
- Image Credits
- Image #1: Creators Changsong Li and Cen Shen, Osmosis: Dissolving The Borderline, 2023.
Image #2: Creators Changsong Li and Cen Shen, Osmosis: Dissolving The Borderline, 2023.
Image #3: Creators Changsong Li and Cen Shen, Osmosis: Dissolving The Borderline, 2023.
Image #4: Creators Changsong Li and Cen Shen, Osmosis: Dissolving The Borderline, 2023.
Image #5: Creators Changsong Li and Cen Shen, Osmosis: Dissolving The Borderline, 2023.
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