![Crane Pavilion at Crane Nature Preserve / GBBN - Image 1 of 25](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5be1/8abf/08a5/e5f7/ac00/0166/newsletter/_E0I3046-77.jpg?1541507751)
![Crane Pavilion at Crane Nature Preserve / GBBN - Image 4 of 25](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5be1/89f7/08a5/e549/e300/0104/newsletter/_AT_1979-87.jpg?1541507567)
Text description provided by the architects. In Wuhan, one of the largest inland cities near China’s eastern coast, a spiritual sanctuary rises near a wetlands preserve. Across Asia, the red-crowned crane has long been associated with longevity, immortality, and spiritual transcendence.
![Crane Pavilion at Crane Nature Preserve / GBBN - Image 2 of 25](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5be1/8b84/08a5/e5f7/ac00/016c/newsletter/_E0I3615-25.jpg?1541507929)
![](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5be1/886e/08a5/e549/e300/00f8/newsletter/Crane_FloorPlan.jpg?1541507168)
![Crane Pavilion at Crane Nature Preserve / GBBN - Image 8 of 25](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5be1/8a59/08a5/e549/e300/0106/newsletter/_B0I5873-82.jpg?1541507632)
To help China’s Tai Kang Group bring a legend to life, we started with the simple form of a paper origami crane. Delicate creases are articulated in the hand-polished concrete exterior, cast with precision to hold glass panels that will ultimately enclose the space.
![Crane Pavilion at Crane Nature Preserve / GBBN - Facade](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5be1/8a97/08a5/e549/e300/0107/newsletter/_E0I2840-63.jpg?1541507689)
![](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5be1/885d/08a5/e5f7/ac00/0155/newsletter/Crane_Circulation.jpg?1541507156)
![Crane Pavilion at Crane Nature Preserve / GBBN - Image 11 of 25](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5be1/8aec/08a5/e5f7/ac00/0167/newsletter/_E0I3201-21.jpg?1541507786)
An opening in the folds gives the small, intimate space an expansive view of surrounding wetlands and a place to watch cranes take flight during funeral ceremonies. A spiral stair in the café leads to a meditation platform beneath a skylight, reinforcing the sense of flight in a tranquil setting.
![Crane Pavilion at Crane Nature Preserve / GBBN - Image 3 of 25](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/5be1/8b1e/08a5/e5f7/ac00/0169/medium_jpg/_E0I3327-32.jpg?1541507843)