pink acrylic bubbles by naoonaoo compose undulating installation along suzhou's waterfront

barbie mountain by Naoonaoo features 40 prefabricated modules

Architecture and art studio Naoonaoo presents Barbie Mountain, a public installation in Suzhou’s Huqiu District, created to revitalize a once outdated commercial area near a residential community. The installation features 40 pink acrylic bubbles that aim to bring a sense of new romance and imagination to the waterfront of the city. Traditional Taihushi rockeries and stone pagodas of Suzhou inspire this project that reinterprets these historical forms using five types of prefabricated acrylic modules. A central steel spine supports the modules, forming an undulating landscape that blends with the surroundings.

all images by Jianing Zhang, courtesy of Naoonaoo

pink bubbles reinterpret historical forms on suzhou waterfront

Situated along the waterfront, Chinese studio Naoonaoo sets Barbie Mountain against lush greenery and distinctive community buildings. Pink, as a dominant color, symbolizes different moods across time and space. It reflects morning light against the clouds, records dewdrops, and glows under the midday sun or the moonlight. The bubbles of the installation mirror the changing skies—from warm sunsets to starry nights—and invite people of all ages to stroll, breathe, and enjoy the environment. By reimagining Suzhou’s traditional garden elements through contemporary materials and techniques, Barbie Mountain seeks to capture the serenity and poetic essence of the outskirts.

Barbie Mountain is a public installation in Suzhou’s Huqiu District

40 pink acrylic bubbles form the installation

the installation aims to bring a sense of new romance to the waterfront of the city

Traditional Taihushi rockeries and stone pagodas of Suzhou inspire this project

a central steel spine supports the modules

an undulating landscape that blends with the natural surroundings

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section drawing

plan level 10 of acrylic shell

site plan overview

fabrication axon diagram

project info:

name: Barbie Mountain

designer: NAOONAOO, Ziwei Song

design & construction collaborator: deep origin lab

location: Suzhou’s Huqiu District, China

photographer: Jianing Zhang | @black____light

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: thomai tsimpou | designboom