Seaside Zigzag Building / TAO - Trace Architecture Office

Seaside Zigzag Building / TAO - Trace Architecture Office - Exterior PhotographySeaside Zigzag Building / TAO - Trace Architecture Office - Interior PhotographySeaside Zigzag Building / TAO - Trace Architecture Office - Interior PhotographySeaside Zigzag Building / TAO - Trace Architecture Office - Exterior PhotographySeaside Zigzag Building / TAO - Trace Architecture Office - More Images+ 36

Weihai, China
  • Principal Architect: Li Hua
  • Design Team: Yu Liu, Langhuan Wang, Yongyi Wu, Linyi Dai, Ruoxin Dai, Yicheng Xie, Zhenhui Feng
  • Structural Consultant: Zhigang Ma, Xiaolei Zhao
  • Client: Rongcheng Good Luck Corner Tourism Resort Construction Bureau
  • City: Weihai
  • Country: China
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Seaside Zigzag Building / TAO - Trace Architecture Office - Exterior Photography
night view. Image © 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.

Seaside Zigzag Building / TAO - Trace Architecture Office - Exterior Photography
overall view. Image © Hao Chen

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.

Seaside Zigzag Building / TAO - Trace Architecture Office - Exterior Photography
distant view. Image © Hao Chen

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.

Seaside Zigzag Building / TAO - Trace Architecture Office - Exterior Photography
distant view. Image © Hao Chen
Seaside Zigzag Building / TAO - Trace Architecture Office - Exterior Photography
distant view. Image © Hao Chen

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.

Seaside Zigzag Building / TAO - Trace Architecture Office - Exterior Photography
west facade. Image © Hao Chen
Seaside Zigzag Building / TAO - Trace Architecture Office - Exterior Photography, Facade
courtyard. Image © Hao Chen

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.

Seaside Zigzag Building / TAO - Trace Architecture Office - Exterior Photography
promenade. Image © Hao Chen
Seaside Zigzag Building / TAO - Trace Architecture Office - Exterior Photography
promenade. Image © Hao Chen

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.

Seaside Zigzag Building / TAO - Trace Architecture Office - Exterior Photography
west end of the building. Image © Hao Chen
Seaside Zigzag Building / TAO - Trace Architecture Office - Exterior Photography
courtyard. Image © Hao Chen

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.

Seaside Zigzag Building / TAO - Trace Architecture Office - Interior Photography
interior space. Image © Hao Chen

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. 

Seaside Zigzag Building / TAO - Trace Architecture Office - Interior Photography
interior space. Image © Hao Chen

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.

Seaside Zigzag Building / TAO - Trace Architecture Office - Interior Photography
shower room. Image © Hao Chen

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.

Seaside Zigzag Building / TAO - Trace Architecture Office - Interior Photography
interior space. Image © Hao Chen
Seaside Zigzag Building / TAO - Trace Architecture Office - Interior Photography
interior space. Image © Hao Chen

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Project location

Address:Rongcheng, Shandong, China

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Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
About this office
Cite: "Seaside Zigzag Building / TAO - Trace Architecture Office" 25 Jan 2022. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/975632/seaside-zigzag-building-tao-trace-architecture-office> ISSN 0719-8884

courtyard. Image © Hao Chen

海边折廊 / 迹·建筑事务所(TAO)

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