Tianzhoushan Tea House by Archiplein opens in the mountains of China

Sited in China's Anhui province, Tianzhoushan Tea House was created by China- and Switzerland-based practice Archiplein
(Image credit: TBC)
By Ellie Stathaki
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Tucked away in the forests of one of Taoism's Five Sacred Mountains, the new Tianzhoushan Tea House in Ahui was built as an homage to Chinese painting. Designed by China- and Switzerland-based practice Archiplein - featured in our 2013 Architects Directory - the sculptural concrete visitor centre was conceived to work in harmony with the site's dramatic surroundings.

'Here, building and nature are not seen as two separate systems', explains Francis Jacquier, one-fifth of the Archiplein founding team. 'They are approached as an integrated whole where the architecture is by no means the main focus point of the composition.'

The structure spans 1000sq m, following the landscape's contours down to the shores of a manmade mountain lake. The geometric composition features large, irregular openings. Located a pleasant walk away from the nearest village, it includes a teahouse and restaurant overlooking the lake and leafy slopes, and makes the perfect pit stop for summer hikers.

The green forests of one of Taoism's Five Sacred Mountains

The Tea House is tucked away within the green forests of one of Taoism's Five Sacred Mountains

(Image credit: press)

the building with its surrounding environment

Archiplein created the design as an homage to Chinese painting, blending the building with its surrounding environment

(Image credit: press)

The sculptural concrete structure was designed to work in harmony with the site's dramatic surroundings

The sculptural concrete structure was designed to work in harmony with the site's dramatic surroundings

(Image credit: press)

The geometric composition acts as a visitor centre for this area of Tianzhoushan Mountain

The geometric composition acts as a visitor centre for this area of Tianzhoushan Mountain

(Image credit: press)

the landscape's contours down to the shores of a man-made mountain lake

The structure spans 1000sq m, following the landscape's contours down to the shores of a man-made mountain lake

(Image credit: press)

The Tea House's facade is punctuated with many openings of various sizes, offering framed vistas of the surrounding natural landscape

The Tea House's facade is punctuated with many openings of various sizes, offering framed vistas of the surrounding natural landscape

(Image credit: press)

Inside the building is tea house and restaurant overlooking the lake and leafy slopes

Inside the building is tea house and restaurant overlooking the lake and leafy slopes 

(Image credit: press)
Ellie Stathaki

Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).

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