Paper Roof Reception Center
Paper Roof Reception Center
Powerhouse Company
PARTNERS IN CHARGE
Stijn Kemper, Nanne De Ru
CATEGORY
Exhibition Center, Cultural Center
LOCATION
Tianjin, China
YEAR
2019
AREA
1500 m²
Text description provided by architect.
Paper Roof, the light-as-air design for a reception center for a new city district next to Jin Hai Lake in Bin Hai.
The center makes a simple yet eloquent statement with a sleek glass box topped by a contemporary take on the sweeping roof of traditional Chinese architecture – instantly recognizable, yet uncompromisingly fresh. The perfect harbinger of the new urban landscape that will rise around it.
THE CREATIVITY OF THE CANOPY
As uncomplicated and unpretentious as a piece of paper – that’s the canopy roof that defines the reception center in Bin Hai.
The upswept corners are a feature of ancient Chinese buildings and were believed to be auspicious, alongside their function in deflecting rainwater.
The diagonal beams of the center’s roof form a mesh that references a forest canopy, sheltering the glass pavilion beneath with dappled shade like the branches of a tree.
THE COLOR OF HEAVEN
Made not from paper but from powder-coated steel, Paper Roof’s canopy appears weightless by coloring it in the same blue as the sky: the color of heaven.
In contrast, the dark horizontals of the pavilion moor it firmly into the ground beneath.
An elegant statement, it stands on long legs that are just 45cm thick and rises at the front in a friendly gesture towards both visitors and the nearby lake.
The roof structure was welded together on site – the curved sections being prefabricated – and then finished by hand to create a smoothly polished surface.
