Gold Architecture, Building and Structure Design · 2021
Coastal Mansion Pavilion
- A' Design Award 2021 Gold Winner in Architecture, Building and Structure Design
- Awarded April 15, 2021
- CLIENT: Zhubo Design
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 26,000
- Verification code FCB9937299 · Verify this award
About Coastal Mansion Pavilion
Coastal Mansion is a mixed-use public pavilion on the shore of Tong'anwan Bay in Xiamen, China. The building holds spaces for exhibition, reading and physical exercise, and also serves as a station on the coastal walkway. The ground floor is left open and free for public activities, linking the interior directly with the surrounding landscape. The facades are formed by horizontal grilles of aluminum panels. Each grille is rotated to a set angle, so the amount of daylight matches the function behind it.
This striking pavilion by Zhubo Design CO., LTD. represents a sophisticated meditation on the threshold condition in contemporary architecture, transforming the conventional entry sequence into an experiential journey that celebrates the liminal space between public realm and private domain. The design demonstrates remarkable sensitivity to the phenomenology of arrival, employing dramatic cantilever geometry and programmable illumination to create an architectural beacon that announces presence while extending invitation. The chromatic strategy proves particularly noteworthy, with the facade's gradient lighting system moving through a carefully orchestrated spectrum from deep violet through brilliant cerulean, evoking associations with coastal twilight, oceanic depths, and the celestial canopy above. This chromatic approach appears to reference both natural phenomena and contemporary digital aesthetics, suggesting a design philosophy that bridges organic inspiration with technological innovation. The structural expression reveals confident engineering ambition, with the pronounced cantilever creating a protective gesture above the transparent glass volume below while establishing clear hierarchical distinction between the luminous crown and its supporting elements. Material selections demonstrate thoughtful dialogue between the sleek precision of glass and metal systems and the textural vitality of tropical vegetation, a juxtaposition that grounds the futuristic architectural expression within its coastal landscape context. The inclusion of marine-themed sculptural elements suggests an intentional narrative program connecting the built environment to its geographic and ecological setting, inviting contemplation of humanity's relationship with coastal ecosystems. Viewers might consider how the interplay of transparency and luminosity shapes their perception of welcome and invitation within the built environment.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The project stands on the shore of Xiamen Tong'anwan Bay. From the start to the completion, the architects tried to respond to two questions: firstly, how to deal with the relationship between architecture and site; secondly, how to maximize the public coastal space. The design highlights the building to provide spaces for people's public activities. The open floor is designed to liberate the ground floor space, directly embracing nature and creating a multilayered spatial sequence.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Type:Pavilion
Area:1846sqm - Tags
- Public building, Zhubo Design, parameterization, construction, coastal public space
- Production Technology
- The facades are composed of a series of horizontal grilles of aluminum panels, which change the daylighting rate based on the logic of rotation. The control curves are matched with the rotation angles of grilles on building exteriors via a script. The data of each point matrix is in line with the angle of the corresponding grille, and satisfies the daylighting demands of the functional area on the related position, thereby realizing perfect, harmonious integration of functionality and form.
- Design Challenge
- Coastal public buildings are spatial media that connect the city and nature, and also an important part of dynamic urban space system. The challenge of the project design was how to endow the building with a public attribute.
- Project Duration
- Location: Xiamen, China
DURATION: 2016-2017 - Operation Flow
- This is a mixed-use public building, which serves exhibition, reading and physical exercise, etc. and also functions as a coastal walkway station. The overall planning makes use of the distance between dense towers and low-density multi-story buildings, hence forming a smooth shared public landscape axis, which links up all public nodes in the community and takes Coastal Pavilion as starting point. The key point of the project design was how to endow the building with a public attribute.
- Research
- The facade design is based on in-depth study on local buildings in Southern Fujian, while also interpreting the flowing quality of ocean. Walls of local traditional buildings are constructed through a unique masonry technique, which stacks and interlaces irregular stones, rubbles and red bricks. Generally, stones are arranged vertically while bricks are stacked on horizontal level, which generates rich changes on facades and highlights a solid and magnificent image.
- Inspiration
- Coastal public buildings are spatial media that connect the city and nature, and also an important part of dynamic urban space system. This building typology provides a stage for citizens'daily leisure activities, and often showcases the image of a city and inherits its cultural context. Moreover, it's also a community destination where users can find identity and feel a sense of belonging.
- Image Credits
- Huang Zaohui
Xia Chong
Colors of Coastal Mansion Pavilion
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