Osmosis Turistsenter by Cen Shen and Changsong Li

Osmosis Turistsenter by Cen Shen and Changsong Li is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award i Bronse in Arkitektur-, bygnings- og strukturdesign Competition Category.

BronseArkitektur· 2026

Osmosis Turistsenter

by Cen Shen and Changsong Li

Client: Changsong Li & Cen Shen

A' Design Award i Bronse Winner in Arkitektur Category

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The Design

About Osmosis Turistsenter

Osmosis er et turist- og utdanningssenter som ligger i El Paso, Texas. Designet er inspirert av geometrien til en uttørket dam i det tørre regionale landskapet. Organiske overflater er oversatt til styrte koniske geometrier, slik at det bølgende taket kan bygges med rette stålbjelker og modulære paneler. Skjulte takrenner langs takkantene samler opp regnvann. Tunge vegger av stampet jord er kombinert med glassvegger i full høyde. Den porøse planløsningen er organisert rundt en sentral gårdsplass, som forbinder besøkende med det omkringliggende terrenget.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award i Bronse

Osmosis Turistsenter er vinner av A' Design Award i Bronse, en høyt prestisjefylt anerkjennelse som tildeles enestående design som utmerker seg ved kreativitet, oppfinnsomhet og skarpsindighet. Bronsevinnere er rikt dyktige og påfallende kreative gjenstander som bekrefter designernes store erfaring, fantasi og ressurssterkhet. Osmosis Turistsenter forventes å være en høyt ansett, beundret og verdsatt gjenstand som er bemerkelsesverdig profesjonell og nyskapende. Dette designet, som har vunnet A' Design Award i Bronse, rommer beste praksis innen kunst, vitenskap, design og teknologi og utmerker seg ved sin omtanke for detaljer. Osmosis Turistsenter tilfredsstiller behov på en strålende måte, berører ønsker, sjarmerer følelser og vekker nysgjerrighet.

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.