Seaside Zigzag Building / TAO - Trace Architecture Office

Curated by 韩双羽 - HAN Shuangyu

Architects: TAO - Trace Architecture Office
Area: 2208 m²
Year: 2021
Photographs:Hao Chen

Text description provided by the architects. Located in a bay in Rongcheng, Shandong province, the site is surrounded by land on three sides and opens to the Yellow Sea on the north. The local government wishes to build a public facility that provides the tourists a place for rest and relaxation. The building sited on the sandy area between the village and the shore, with its south side connected with the coast road. The terrain of the road decreases from west to east, forming a height difference from 4m to 1m with the site.

The building stretches and elongates along the coastline, and at the same time, it seems to be "squeezed" by the landform, presenting a zigzag posture that projects the gaze towards different directions of the sea. To the south, a series of micro-courtyards is designed with the change of topography, enriching spatial hierarchy between the scattered villages and the vast sea.

Viewed from the north side, the building lies on the beach in a humble yet powerful manner, forming a dialogue with the sea and the horizon. With a horizontal length of 160m, the façade presents a rhythmic change of density and creates a dramatic visual impact, revealing unexpected appeal, aesthetics, and complexity.

From the west, the building sinks into the ground, the large-scaled volume is dissolved and becomes an extension of the ground. As the terrain descends from west to east, the building becomes detached from the ground and stands out gradually.

At the highest point of the road, the accessible roof of the building acts as an extension of the sidewalk as well as a viewing platform. Meandering surfaces blur the boundaries and distances as if they can extend to infinity. With varying heights, the platform offers people with all-around perspectives to enjoy the scenery.

One can enter the courtyard from different height levels via promenade paths, which provide the visitors an experience of varying scenery with changing viewpoints. The courtyards are planted with natural Pennisetum and local pine, which act as a natural frontier that protects the entry experience from highway noise and traffic.

Internally, the scattered volumes form a series of forking paths, which provide people with varying experiences while traversing the building. One can pass straight through the building to reach the beach, or walk into the shadows of the unknown. In the zigzag journey, people meet the sea in a unique way every time.

Fair-faced concrete was used as the main architectural material, forming a heavy solid complex. Baths, cafés, restaurants, and other programs are hidden inside. The voids between the volumes become the semi-outdoor public spaces. From the bath to the restaurant, the plan layout changes from private to open, and the proportion of solid and void also changes accordingly.

Light sculpts the form and expresses the emotions of a building. In this linearly elongated building, one feels its deep and rhythmic breath through spatial hierarchy and light changes.

The chiseled marks on the wall of the shower room were actually construction mistakes, but unexpectedly showed another more vigorous form of the concrete, which we kept in the end. Inside the cramped shower room, the skylight pours down from the top of the head, the space and materials show a unique changing texture as time goes by.

As night falls, the soft indoor light overflows from the gaps between the volumes, redefining the form of the building - like a silent "rock", presenting a pure and quiet overall temperament.