Location: Aranya, Qinhuangdao

Scope: Architecture, Interiors, Site design

Type: New building

Total floor area: 901㎡

Max height: 6.6m

Design period: 2016-2017

Completion: 5/2018

Photography: Arch-Exist Photography

Video: Nandin

Awards

Jintang Prize, Best restaurant design of the year, Shenzhen, China, 2019

China Design Power 100, Blend of design and art, Beijing, China, 2019

REARD Design Awards, Bronze, Shanghai, China, 2018

Jinteng Award, Best restaurant design of the year, Beijing, China, 2018

Press

Designer & Designing magazine, Vol 88, Sep 2018, Shanghai, China

Interior Architecture of China, Vol 190, Oct 2018, Beijing, China

2019 China Interior Design Annual, 2019, Liaoning Science and Technology Publishing House / Shenyang, China

Interiors, No. 395, Jul 2019, South Korea

Interiors (China), No. 013, Jul 2019, Beijing, China

Exhibition

Towards Florence Biennale 2019 China Design Selection Exhibition, Florence Biennale, Jul 2019, Ningbo Museum of Art, Ningbo

Descriptions

The aim of the dining club is to experience the forest that is next to the site by the shore. The first thing is to deal with the relationship between the building and the nature: by doing this we let the building in contact with the forest from three sides, which then divides the volume into three units with trees planted in between, therefore the building intersects with the forest in a harmonious way and the range of scenery viewing is maximized. The three major units are connected by a circulation block facing the community. Glass curtain walls are applied at the forest-facing facade. Light transmitting concrete is used on the side facing the community, and a layer of timber gratings sits in front of it, which hides the entrance behind and blends the building with its surrounding nature. The two simple-formed pitched roofs are at different heights, and the double-layered eave brings a lightweight feeling to the building.

The project has a unique under-eave space, formed by the 2.4m overhanging roof. The space multiplies both aesthetic expression and functional experience; it is not only a transition zone that blurs the boundary between inside and outside, but also an intersected space of the building’s interior and its surrounding environment.

The entire floor is paved by grass tatami, nothing can be heard from indoor apart from the sound of falling leaves and breeze in the forest, and it feels relaxing and comfortable to touch the floor with bare foot. From the hearings to the touches, the deliberate and detailed design of this unique experience creates a blank part in the spiritual space.

The building is divided into three units according to the level of privacy: the public-opening zone, the irori zone, and the private rooms. The public-opening zone uses washi paper as ceiling finish, which makes it simple and clear. The building’s interior is kept minimalist, the timber partitions and concrete walls are free of any decorations. The building itself is intentionally faded out, in order to make people focus on experiencing the nature.

The project is an exploration of the spatial aesthetics of contemporary oriental architecture, and is a media for the communication between people and the nature.

Project credits

Client: Aranya

Operation Team: SHINKAI by Hatsune

Architects: PLAT ASIA

Principle Architect: DH JUNG

Project Architect: Guowei Liu

Design Team: Baoyang Bian, Qiyang Shen, Kaiqi Yang, Minjia Lv, Jingyun Lian, Dongsheng Xiao, Xinwei Liu

Lighting Design: Beijing Bamboo Lighting Design

Decoration Design: VIEW DECO

Furnishings Design: Nice Things

Construction Design: Beijing Huachengboyuan Engineering Technology Group