Project Overview

According to the local conditions, the designers created a teahouse and two pavilions in the tea field in Anji, Zhejiang Province, which has both the cohesion of enclosing and centripetal, and the openness of opening to the surrounding. This project is located in ten thousand acres of tea fields, among rural landscape. In line with the geographical form of the tea garden terraces, the designer used the embedded method to shape the declining tea house. The interior of the tea house was made into an earth color "cave", and the bar counter and stairs inside winds up, full of soft and smooth texture.

Project Commissioner

HATCH Architects

Project Creator

Anji Xucheng Tourism Development Co., Ltd.

Team

Chief Designer: David Wei
Design Team: Danjun Shao, Zhizheng Wang, Kevin Xu, Yuanming Zhao, Erqiang Dai

Project Brief

This tea house was a storage room before. The designer transformed it into a tea house through a tiny intervention, and used a lot of local traditional bamboo and wood materials, which harmoniously integrated into the natural environment, meanwhile adding fun to the peaceful countryside. The tea house is partially hollowed, allowing the skylight come inside, and the huge floor-to-ceiling window on wall brings a wide view of the endless tea fields.

Outside the tea house, the design of two open viewing platforms on the top of the tea mountain are inspired by the villagers' proudest product, white tea. The roof of one pavilion resembles a leaf and falls lightly in the field. With the meaning "Leaves brought wealthiness to the people", it also carries the deep emotional sustenance in this area. The roof of another pavilion looks like a floating cloud, providing a shelter for tea farmers and visitors.

Project Innovation/Need

In line with the geographical form of the tea garden terraces, the designer used the embedded method to shape the declining tea house. While meeting the functional requirements, the material and shape selection weakens the abruptness of the building, and makes it integrate with the surrounding environment. The interior of the tea house was made into an earth color "cave", and the bar counter and stairs inside winds up, full of soft and smooth texture.

One of the most prominent highlights of the tea house is the long panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows facing the tea garden, occupying a whole wall, like a unique viewing frame. When the weather is good, the 12-meter-wide horizontal folding floor-to-ceiling windows can be fully opened, allowing the guests to enjoy the beautiful view thoroughly, with breeze coming in sometimes.

Design Challenge

The curvature of “bamboo leaves” is achieved by physical and chemical processing technology to make it have better anti-corrosion properties, while ensuring the shading effect of different times of the day. The bamboo anchorage uses mortise and tenon structure and steel components to ensure the aesthetics and durability of its connection, and it also makes it possible to replace the components individually in the future, realizing the sustainability of construction.

Sustainability

Anji, Zhejiang province is rich in bamboo and has been known as the bamboo town since ancient times. Based on the natural solution of ecological protection and restoration, both pavilions are made of local bamboo and wood, which harmoniously integrated into the natural environment, meanwhile adding fun to the peaceful countryside.

Through the deep communication with local craftsmen, the design team learned about materials characteristics and bamboo construction techniques, explored new ways of bamboo construction and application. We hope that through our simple attempts, we will once again awaken our attention to traditional bamboo art.

Architecture - Public and Institutional - International

This award celebrates the design process and product of planning, designing and constructing form, space and ambience that reflect functional, technical, social, and aesthetic considerations. Consideration given for material selection, technology, light and shadow. 
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