The Grand Canopy by MLA+: A Sustainable Visitor Center Embracing Xialang Village’s River Culture

The Grand Canopy, designed by MLA+, is a unique visitor center located in the picturesque Xialang Village, Huizhou, China. Completed in 2025, this small yet transformative 36 m² architectural intervention celebrates the region’s deep cultural connection to the Lanshi River, seasonal tourism, and the traditional low-impact building practices of Lingnan villages.

Blending landscape architecture, local craftsmanship, and sustainable riverfront design, The Grand Canopy redefines how small structures can create big impacts in rural tourism while remaining fully ecological and reversible.

A Living Landscape Rooted in Water Culture

Xialang Village thrives on its river. In summer, thousands of tourists flock to the Lanshi River to escape the heat—turning its shallow streams into lively social spaces. Locals set up canopies, chairs, tables, and floating platforms, using the river as both playground and community hub.

Despite the seasonal rush, the villagers avoid permanent construction. Instead, they use pebbles, stones, and natural materials to divide the riverbed into zones—creating safe shallow areas for recreation and deeper areas for water discharge. After floods, these stone boundaries can be easily rebuilt, showcasing a remarkable model of low-impact, reversible, “traceless stream economy.”

Design Concept: Architecture That Follows the Landscape

MLA+ chose not to impose heavy planning or monumental architecture. The site already offered everything—river, people, culture, and movement.

The task:

• Provide shade through a flexible canopy
• Offer stream access via steps
• Add stepping stones to cross the river
• Integrate a small café within the footprint of an existing toilet block

This approach ensured minimal land disturbance while maximizing the natural beauty of the site.

The Canopy: A Flexible and Sustainable Structure

Inspired by villagers’ summer practices, MLA+ designed a canopy supported by eight structural columns built into the existing public toilet. On the river-facing side, they constructed low stone piers.

Between these high and low foundations, tension cables were stretched to form the supporting skeleton of the canopy.

Seasonal Adaptability

• Summer: canopy opens to provide shade for visitors
• Rain/typhoon season: canopy retracts for safety
• Winter/off-season: canopy is removed for maintenance

This adaptable system requires no additional construction quota and remains respectful of the natural river ecosystem.

A Riverbank Platform as a Community Hub

After meeting flood elevation and river setback regulations, the design introduced an expanded riverbank platform under the canopy. This multifunctional space serves as:

• A gathering point for tourists
• A staging area for water activities
• The entry point for river stepping stones

The result is a vibrant, fluid connection between landscape and human activity—an architecture shaped entirely by the rhythms of the river.

A Model for Low-Impact Rural Tourism Architecture

The Grand Canopy stands as a benchmark for sustainable rural development. Its design respects ecology, celebrates local culture, and supports economic growth without harming the landscape.

Through minimal intervention and maximum sensitivity, MLA+ demonstrates how architecture can enhance a natural site without overpowering it.

All the photographs are works of Yumeng Zhu