Beijing-based studio Trace Architecture has designed a concrete café and guest house that balances like rocks on the edge of a cliff on Chiming Island near the Chinese city of Weihai.
The Cliff Café is set in the landscape, jutting out over the sea, with a concrete terrace and observation deck at the top, and next to it is a long, narrow building housing one guest apartment. Rooms, usually adjacent to each other, are placed one above the other here.
“The horizontal level of the café points towards the horizon, while the level of the tower is vertical towards the sky. Through horizontal and vertical lines, rise and fall, inclusion and suspension, the building connects to the earth and sky through the fundamental gestures of architecture, bringing man back to nature.
Where the rock casts a shadow over the café, a small exhibition space has been created, and bathrooms can be found there as well. On the other hand, the café area opens to the sea from the north side, and the dining, bar and seating sections are separated by thick concrete walls.
Just by glancing at the heavy concrete walls, you feel as if you are floating above the sea.
On the eastern side, a corridor leads to a smaller viewing area, beyond which is a meditation room. Light enters here through a single triangular skylight.
The darker, more compact spaces were created to enhance the feeling of openness in the lighter parts facing the sea. A semi-dark tunnel leads to the balcony, which offers a wonderful view.
In the tower house, the living room and bathroom are located on the lower floor, and the bedroom is located on the upper floor. On each level, a prominent box-shaped window frames the view of the surrounding landscape in a unique way.
Houses built on rocks often offer a special experience, like this hotel built on a medieval rock stronghold on the Amalfi Coast, or these beautiful structures above the Norwegian fjords.
(source: Designthe pictures: Xiangzhou Sun/Dezeen)
Milk hair | China | Cafe | Al Jazeera | Scenery
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