Office: Tao (Trace Architecture Office) | ArchDaily

Weishan Chongzheng Academy Bookstore of Librairie Avant-Garde / TAO (Trace Architecture Office)

Pilar Caballero — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Background
Weishan Chongzheng Academy Bookstore of Librairie Avant-Garde is located in the west corner of Weishan Ancient Town in Dali, Yunnan. Weishan is the birthplace of the ancient Nanzhao Kingdom, and has a history of over 600 years. It still preserves the urban layout of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Chongzheng Academy was built during the Hongzhi period of the Ming Dynasty with a history of more than 500 years, and has gone through several twists and turns. In 2021, TAO was invited by the local government and Librairie Avant-Garde to repair and renovate Chongzheng Academy, transforming it into a bookstore with comprehensive functions including bookstore, exhibition, small theatre, coffee, etc. and hoping to awaken the former prosperity and vitality of the place. The design task also includes the urban design of the surrounding area. By inviting new programs, the design aims to create a new lifestyle destination that encourages everyday public participation throughout the year, bringing a positive effect to the regeneration of the old town.

Chenhu Wetland Art Center / TAO (Trace Architecture Office)

Pilar Caballero — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Situated at the geographical center of China, Wuhan earned the title of the "Gateway to Nine Provinces" as early as the Ming and Qing dynasties. From the ancient Yunmeng wetlands, to Yu the Great diverting the Han River into the Yangtze, and later the river's course shift in the sixth year of Emperor Chenghua's reign, the city gradually took shape as today's "River City." Renowned as the "City of a Hundred Lakes," Wuhan is interwoven with rivers, lakes, and waterways, with water areas occupying one quarter of its territory. Evidently, the relationship between "water" and "city" is inseparable.

Tide's Echo Hall / TAO (Trace Architecture Office)

Andreas Luco — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The Tide's Echo Hall is situated in the Coastal Park along Sanggou Bay in Rongcheng, Shandong Province, with the Yellow Sea to the east and a vast ecological shelterbelt to the west. Its prime location creates a distinctive peninsula-like setting, "embraced by greenery on three sides and open to the sea on one side." The client envisions the site as a multifunctional cultural and tourism hub, seamlessly integrating conference, exhibition, banquet, dining, and sightseeing facilities, fostering a harmonious connection between human activity and the coastal ecosystem.

Nujiang Grand Canyon Bookstore of Librairie Avant-Garde / Tao (Trace Architecture Office)

Pilar Caballero — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 07:00:00 +0000

As the last free-flowing river in China without dams, the Nujiang River winds through the folds of the Hengduan~ Mountains in western Yunnan, separating the Gaoligong Mountains and Biluo Snow Mountain to its east and west. The Nujiang Grand Canyon Bookstore of Librairie Avant-Garde is situated atop the Gaoligong Mountains, facing across the river toward the two sacred mountains of the Lisu and Bai ethnic groups.

In-between Pavilion / TAO (Trace Architecture Office)

Andreas Luco — Wed, 10 Jan 2024 07:00:00 +0000

“In-between Pavilion” is TAO's second urban renewal project completed in Nantou Ancient Town, Shenzhen. It is also one of the exhibition galleries of the Diverse Homology Museum complex, narrating the mutual influence between political power and geography of the Pearl River Delta region, centered around Nantou. It was originally a place of high density with two adjacent residential buildings on the site, and public spaces were intensely compressed. Under the interaction of constant renewal, a symbiotic relationship between spaces of different natures and eras is formed. This state of natural symbiosis gives the project a unique aesthetics of chaos and vitality in the Nantou Ancient Town. The site is located on the north side of Nantou Ancient Town in Shenzhen, comprising three different property plots. The autonomous and spontaneous construction in the urban village has resulted in a confined spatial layout and visual occlusion. It will become an important node connecting surrounding public spaces as the site transforms from private residences to a public domain. This shift in identity will prompt the design to respond proactively.

A Hamlet within The Urban Village / TAO - Trace Architecture Office

July Shao — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000

"A Hamlet within the urban village" is TAO’s first urban renewal project in Nantou Ancient Town, Shenzhen. This is an urban cluster that originally consisted of multiple buildings with different property rights of the land. Part of it was preserved and partly demolished and renovated to form a new composite urban community. It is both a building and a miniature urban village. An open-ended concrete structure integrates all the old and new elements of the site, making it a stage for the lively and ever-changing life here.

Cliff Café and Tower House / TAO - Trace Architecture Office

Andreas Luco — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 06:00:00 +0000

Jiming Island stands alone in the middle of the sea and is noted for the cliff, rocks, and sea horizon, which create a sense of distance from the city. The site is on the edge of a cliff, facing the vast sea in the north as if it is the land's end.

Haikou Jiangdong Huandao Experimental School / TAO (Trace Architecture Office)

Collin Chen — Sat, 27 May 2023 02:00:00 +0000

Trace Architecture Office (TAO)'s latest school project—Haikou Jiangdong Huandao Experimental School is currently in use. Located in Haikou, Hainan, China, the campus includes a high school and student dormitory for 48 high school classes, and a kindergarten for 18 kindergarten classes, with a total floor area of 64,700 square meters. This is TAO's second educational project in Haikou, which is another creative practice of exploring links between education and architecture with respect to the local context.

Seaside Floating Pavilion / TAO (Trace Architecture Office)

Collin Chen — Thu, 29 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Instantaneousness
At the easternmost tip of the Jiaodong Peninsula, an abandoned fishing boat ran aground near an undeveloped natural bay area. The scour marks on the fishing boat made by waves becomes marks of the time; the boat is leaning, as if overwhelmed by the ravages of the sea and about to capsize. Between movement and stillness, life and death constitute a picture of eternity and instantaneousness.Such poetic scene evokes the imagination of a floating pavilion -a small and lightweight flying object that glides onto the beach and seems ready to leave at any time- which respond the vastness and emptiness with its slenderness and smallness, and respond to eternal weight with its lightness of instantaneousness.

Qingyijiang Road Elementary School / TAO (Trace Architecture Office)

Collin Chen — Thu, 19 May 2022 20:00:00 +0000

Qingyijiang Road Elementary School is situated on a 90-mu site with buildings occupying about 30,000 square meters. Compared with schools in high-density cities such as Shenzhen, the project has a relatively loose site constraint with a plot ratio of around 0.5. Under such conditions, we create a new school paradigm that is different from traditional systems.

Seaside Zigzag Building / TAO - Trace Architecture Office

Collin Chen — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 01:00:00 +0000

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.

Aranya Theatre / TAO (Trace Architecture Office)

Collin Chen — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 22:00:00 +0000

Aranya Theatre is located at an irregular-shaped site at the center of Aranya, a gold coast seaside resort in Qinhuangdao, Hebei, China. The site is surrounded by residential buildings on three sides, overlooking the sea across the dunes. Therefore, how to deal with the relationship between the theatre and the sea, streets, and urban context, as well as how to shape the public space of the town has become the focus of the design.

Swan Lake Bridge House and Viewing Tower / TAO - Trace Architecture Office

Collin Chen — Sun, 28 Feb 2021 17:00:00 +0000

Located in Rongcheng, Shandong province, Swan Lake Park is a natural wetland near the Yellow Sea, flat and vast, with reed spreading wildly and water streams meandering. Every October, groups of swans migrate south to this site from Siberia. This magnificent scene, as well as the beautiful landscape of the wetland, attracts large groups of tourists. The local government wishes to build a public facility that provides tourists with services such as viewing and catering.

Wuyishan Bamboo Raft Factory / TAO - Trace Architecture Office

Joanna Wong — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 07:00:00 +0000

Located atop a plateau in the rural Xingcun village, the building complex is a manufacturing and storage facility of bamboo rafts, used to sail the nearby Nine Bend River in Wuyi Mountain for tourism. Each winter 22,000 bamboo stems are harvested which, following a storage period, are used to manufacture 1,800 bamboo rafts annually.

Xiadi Paddy Field Bookstore of Librairie Avant-Garde / TAO

Collin Chen — Wed, 15 Jan 2020 23:00:00 +0000

Xiadi Paddy Field Bookstore of Librairie Avant-Garde is located in the north side of Xiadi Village, Pingnan, Fujian, surrounded by paddy fields. The building was a long-abandoned local residence, with three rammed earth walls that remained intact and a few dilapidated courtyard walls at the time the architect arrived.

Huandao Middle School / TAO - Trace Architecture Office

Collin Chen — Sat, 16 Nov 2019 23:00:00 +0000

Located in Haikou, Hainan, China, Haikou Huandao Middle school is designed to accommodate teaching classrooms, function classrooms, students’ dormitory and dining hall for more than 1200 students, 24 classes. The design initiated from thinking about how to create a nurturing environment that celebrates creativity and interaction rather than examination-oriented learning cultures.

Xinzhai Coffee Manor / TAO - Trace Architecture Office

韩双羽 - HAN Shuangyu — Fri, 01 Feb 2019 00:00:00 +0000

Xinzhai Coffee Manor is located in Lujiangba, Baoshan, Yunnan Province, one of the world-recognized origins of Arabica coffee. The site sits on a plateau in the middle of Bawan Village at the foot of Gaoligong Mountain, overlooking the landscape of Lujiangba Area and the Nuijiang Valley to the north. Through renovation and addition, the client envisions a multifunctional complex that houses coffee storage, processing, tasting, sale, hotel rooms, coffee museum, auditorium and other functions, to provide visitors with premium holiday experience in par with the high quality coffee and pleasant resort scenery.

Lens Office / TAO - Trace Architecture Office

舒岳康 — Mon, 07 May 2018 19:00:00 +0000

This project is designed for Lens Magazine, located in 1958 Industrial Avenue in Beijing, as their head office and event place. The building was built in 1958 and served as a warehouse of Transportation Department of Beijing Commercial Storage Company. The Large span pitched roof, supported by wood trusses and iron joints, is a typical warehouse typology in 1950s and indicates an aesthetic of structural purification.