Location: Tianjin, China.

Architect: Lacime Architects.

The project is located at Binhai New Area on the eastern coast of Tianjin, a diversified land that integrates entertainment, edutainment and culture. It follows the basic logic of “point, line and plane” to create a contemporary urban spatial sequence of man, sea and sky. The building focuses on the theme of “water”, extracts the concept of “water drop and wave” from waves and creates an image of the sea. It has three major functional areas: the Wave (art museum), outdoor theatre and public space. The building is separated from the sand dune and reef and has three outdoor terraces overlooking the sea.

An integrated parametric design is used for the skin of the building. The subtle arrangement of the scale-shaped aluminium plate allows the façade to reflect sunlight from different angles in different periods of time, creating a gorgeous look. BIM technology is used to fit 13 thousand pieces of aluminium plate and deliver a rhythmical upward spiral texture. Inside the building, the ceiling fabric, patterned glass screen, and transparent floor-to-ceiling window all work to interpret “water” in different states and create a balanced and soft cultural ambience. The first-floor hall is a round space and light beams stream down from the dark space, while the second-floor illuminating surface is installed with a light large glass curtain wall and the highest glass is up to 8 meters.