A4 / P4 - ARCH 201
Project 4 Description
INTERNATIONAL DESIGN COMPETION – SHANTOU PAVILION
The Shantou Government, Guangdong Province, China has recently held The International Forum of Historic-Site-Revitalization, and in conjunction, invited an International jury of architects to review and vet the Detailed Urban Design for Shantou China Historical and Cultural Protection Zone prepared by the Peking University – School of Urban Planning – Urban Research Center.
As part of the review process, the Shantou Government has expressed the vision of becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Destination Site. They want to brand themselves as the most historically preserved modern city in China as well as the leading sustainable “green” city in China. As part of their current plan, they have identified a strategic development phasing plan to launch the project. Their first planned phase will be comprised of three (3) key elements, their International Design Competition is for their proposed Modern PAVILION:
1) The buildings around the old city radius point and their traditional Shantou Pavilion.
2) A major pedestrian boulevard to the waterfront.
3) A new modern PAVILION and EDUCATION and TOURIST COMPLEX that will serve as a terminus to the pedestrian boulevard and FOCAL POINT to the project and cities hopeful aspirations for the 21st century.
They are not sure WHAT the function, or form, of the pavilion should be. They are sure it needs to be a world class ICONIC piece of urban architecture and sculpture, and they want it to serve as an iconographic branding focal point for the project and city that will draw millions of visitors from all over the world in the 21st century.
Due to the Great Tea Race of 1886, the tea leaf has played an important role in the history, culture and economy to the city of Shantou. The tea cultivated in the area was shipped to countries all over the world. After some research, I have found that there are no traditional tea houses in the site that strengthen the importance of the tea leaf and that don't encourage participation in the special ceremony used when drinking a cup of tea. As a solution to this problem, I have designed a 'tea leaf' structure that mimicks a tea leaf floating on water that acts as the roof to a tea house that will sit out over the waterfront. This tea house will be located between the clipper ship at the end of the pedestrian bridge to a Shantou pavilion landmark that embraces the heritage of the area at the other end of the pedestrian bridge. The tea house allows for there to be a place where users can partake in this tea ceremony while also connecting the deep roots of the Shantou people to the clipper ships that were used to move the tea and also to the waterfront.
