Jinhua Tea House

The tea house stands on low ground downstream of a dam, facing a broad view of the river. It is one of a group of pavilions in an architecture park. Raising the rooms gives visitors a good view and a slight breeze, both essential to drinking tea.

Rather than one large building, the Chinese design team split the programme into small volumes to contrast with the massive dam. It is a collection of similar units, each offering its own experience.

The materials come from infrastructure: utility poles as columns, steel channels as downpipes, feed pipes as handrails. Doors close on their own by gravity and toilets hide behind sliding panels, so movement and surprise make the visit playful. Structures like these could be repeated anywhere utility poles stand.