Sun Tower, rising on Yantai’s waterfront, wins Best Building Site in the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2024
We take a tour of the building site at Sun Tower, Open Architecture's new nature-inspired cultural attraction for the seaside town of Yantai in China
On paper, Open Architecture’s Sun Tower sounds like a dream – and easy – commission. The scheme, based in Yantai in eastern China, combines a prime, seaside plot; an architecture-led, ambitious client who sought to transform a former industrial neighbourhood into a cultural hub for the city’s rapidly growing population; and a brief that allowed for maximum flexibility and creativity, without precisely determining what the end product should look like, or even house.
The city authorities were after ‘something unique to enhance the city's ocean front,' and a rigorous interview process and an invited competition later, they awarded the commission to the Beijing-based studio. However, honing down on the building’s striking, curvaceous design was not as straightforward as it might initially seem.
Sun Tower: an open ended architectural brief
‘It is very difficult to respond to such an open-ended brief, we had to define the questions ourselves before we could give any answers. In fact, we tried more than 30 schemes before finally arriving at something that “felt right”. But the idea that this building should be at the confluence of nature and culture was established at the very beginning during the architect-interview process, and this vision was agreed by the client which was very important for the project,’ says Wenjing Huang, who co-founded the practice with partner Li Hu.
‘Coincidentally, this was not the first time that we were given a rather open and vague design brief. It is definitely not common though. We had encountered a few times, mostly in rather unique cultural projects, where the clients were not looking for something innovative and inspiring but not sure what their buildings should be. These clients tend to be open minded and have trust in our work.’
The scheme was designed to house a mix of cultural programs, including exhibition, library and meditation spaces, as well as an outdoor theatre and a food and beverage element. As the Yantai region has an ancient history of sun worshipping, the architects decided to celebrate this ‘forgotten’ aspect of local culture. They sculpted their design based on the light’s trajectory through the day, slicing open a section to face the sea, aiming to pay tribute to sun, time and nature. The end product is bold and eye-catching, and it was conceived to be open to the public, fostering cultural and community life in the city.
Once the project’s final form and programme were finalised, more challenges reared their head - namely construction ones, given the building’s complex geometries, as well as its material (the concrete’s white colour was tricky to achieve). Concrete was chosen as the main material, poured in two layers of slanted shells connected and braced by horizontal slabs and ramps. It was selected for its durability to withstand the site’s constant exposure to the region’s corrosive mix of wind, sun and salty sea air year round. It also had the additional advantages of offering a good thermal mass to help maintain warmth in the winter and coolness in the summer, while insulating the interior.
Its properties meant the main exhibition areas could remain free from mechanical air conditioning, and reduce energy consumption within the building altogether. Beyond the concrete shell, glass, aluminium, stainless steel and bronze complete the design, with wood introduced to craft a more intimate ambience in the library and cafe area. Meanwhile, one of the scheme’s functions, the Light Institute, conceived as a digital museum, provided another challenge for the curatorial team. The content provider had to think outside the box,’ the architects explain.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Now, half way through construction – the Sun Tower topped out in June 2023 and is scheduled for completion in 2024 – and the project already cuts a dramatic figure in the Yantai shoreline. Its authors hope it will become a landmark destination for its seaside city, connecting humans and nature, its ‘conscious design’ acting as a vessel for people to experience and feel in sync with their surroundings. The architects write: ‘Sitting on the steps under the parabolic shell, gazing into the distant ocean framed by the dramatic arch while the sounds of nature’s breathing echo gently throughout, one’s mind will gradually clear up.’
A version of this article appears in the February 2024 issue of Wallpaper* – dedicated to the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2024 – available in print from 4 January, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today
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).
-
‘Music is in the DNA of the brand’: AV Vattev on creating this year’s loudest accessory
Rising London designer AV Vattev – who has recently outfitted Charli XCX and Troye Sivan for their viral ‘Sweat’ tour – talks about the influence of music on his ‘bold and unapologetic’ collections
By Jack Moss Published
-
The case of Casa Batlló: inside Antoni Gaudí’s ‘happiest’ work
Casa Batlló by Catalan master architect Antoni Gaudí has just got a refresh; we find out more
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Light up! Bard brightens the Scottish winter with a show of candle lights
Bard in Edinburgh brings together 20 Scottish makers to reimagine the humble candleholder in an illuminating group show
By Ali Morris Published
-
Raw, refined and dynamic: A-Cold-Wall*’s new Shanghai store is a fresh take on the industrial look
A-Cold-Wall* has a new flagship store in Shanghai, designed by architecture practice Hesselbrand to highlight positive spatial and material tensions
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Sun Tower is a new Chinese cultural attraction that draws on the celestial cycle
Sun Tower, an imaginative cultural attraction by Open Architecture, draws on the natural cycle and has just opened in China's seaside town of Yantai
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
The Suzhou visitor centre in China is a perfect balance of contemporary innovation and cultural identity
The Suzhou visitor centre in China is designed by Tsing-Tien Making, a studio that designs to preserve cultural identity
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Architectural Association's newest show uncovers the architectural legacies of rural China's lost generation
The Architectural Association’s ‘Ripple Ripple Rippling’ is not your typical architecture show, taking an anthropological look at the flux between rural and urban, and bringing a part of China to Bedford Square in London
By Teshome Douglas-Campbell Published
-
Private museum Simple Design Archive is a ‘poetic sound sanctuary’ in China
Simple Design Archive, located in China’s Anhui province, is a private museum by HAS Design and Research, fostering a contemplative environment
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Neri & Hu’s dynamic New Bund theatre takes centre stage in Shanghai’s cityscape
In Shanghai, Neri & Hu’s New Bund 31 Performing Arts Center is a theatre offering a contemporary take on a classical archetype
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2024: meet the practices
In the Wallpaper* Architects Directory 2024, our latest guide to exciting, emerging practices from around the world, 20 young studios show off their projects and passion
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Tsing-Tien Making's approach is rooted in its 'passion' for architecture
Tsing-Tien Making, a young Chinese practice, joins the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2024
By Ellie Stathaki Published