A Floating Pavilion On A Tea Mountain

YoumuArchitects

• Landscape

This project is located in Changdai Village, Zhuangtang Street, Xihu District, Hangzhou City, and is an important landscape node in the "Changdai Village Rural Style Improvement Project."

photo_credit YoumuArchitects — YoumuArchitects

The tea mountains and tea fields are the main tourist attractions and important economic activity sites for the villagers in Changdai Village. Through overall planning and landscape design, they are gradually transforming into an art installation exhibition space and a showcase of rural scenery amidst the mountains, waters, and fields.

We built a tea pavilion on the summit of the West Mountain among the two tea mountains, which complements the original thatched pavilion on the summit of the East Mountain. We hope it will serve as a resting place for tea-picking villagers, a viewing platform for tourists, and an eye-catching point in the picturesque rural landscape.

The design of the tea pavilion is inspired by the most common shading structure found in tea fields, which consists of a "steel pipe frame + shade cloth." Similar to the original structures used to provide shade for tea trees, the tea pavilion is constructed with a lightweight steel framework in a mountain-shaped design, covered with a removable white shade cloth. This low-cost, temporary solution creates a friendly and relaxed resting space for tea farmers at the mountain top.

The tea pavilion is constructed with a modular framework made of lightweight steel. The framework is divided into three sections, forming a mountain-shaped structure that is higher in the middle and lower on the sides, creating a difference in scale for walking in the center and resting on the sides. The main framework is elevated above the ground, covered with anti-corrosion wooden flooring, giving it a floating appearance; on both sides, it connects to the tea mountain trail through short corridors and steps.

The wire mesh embedded in the modular framework and the anti-corrosion wood form the railings for visitors to lean on and the benches for them to rest on; the framework also delineates the scenic views of the rural settlement to the north and the natural features of the mountain pavilion on the east and west sides for the tourists.

The light gray steel frame of the tea pavilion blends into the sky, while the white sunshade draped beneath the structure artistically depicts the image of a pavilion floating atop the tea mountains, together with the rolling tea hills, outlining the natural undulations of the landscape.

Compared to the more picturesque thatched pavilion at the top of Dongshan Mountain, the tea pavilion not only shows respect for local indigenous construction but also resonates with the modern sculpture group built at the foot of the mountain through its prototypical and abstract form. Together, they depict the contemporary rural landscape where pastoral life and art collide.

In the year following its construction, the tea pavilion gradually became a must-visit spot for villagers walking their dogs, a gathering place for tea farmers to rest and chat, and a popular photo spot for tourists. We realized that this pavilion, floating atop the tea mountain, has finally taken root in the rural landscape of Changdai Village, becoming a memorable highlight in the everyday scenes of contemporary rural life.