Location: Liuzhou, China.

Architect: Waterfrom Design co. Ltd.

Waterform Design has created a unique architectural design for a project located in Liuzhou, China. Instead of simulating the landscape with shapes, the design firm has used light and shadow to create high mountains and deep water. The material façade is used to recreate the mental transitions of entering a deep forest and to incorporate nature into the interior gestures. The design aims to create an experience of people wandering in the mountains through the multi-directional views of people zigzagging, climbing, looking up, or looking down between structures, and even the real and imaginary contours of reflections on the floor. The design uses ink to express the deep or ethereal texture of the mountains, and the broad white space allows the outline of the wall to move with the sun and shadows, quietly shaping the undulation and connection of the mountains. The entrance is built with raw stones to create the depth of a valley, and the deep cut stone surface of the counter is not only used as the façade of the building but also as a display of the mountain wall, transforming the natural stone gestures into an emotional turn when experiencing nature. The white woven fabric on the wall flies and condenses, like the indulgence of the wild scribble, or the fishermen casting their nets in the early morning. The silk threads are used to outline the indistinct natural textile device, manifesting an improvised, unconscious state of expression. The design aims to create a pure feeling of the change in status and the state of mind fit.

Photo credit: Vincent Wu.