curved concrete plates adorn 'watermoon tea house' in taiwan

‘watermoon tea house’ by Behet Bondzio Lin Architekten

Located atop a hill in Changhua County, Taiwan, ‘Watermoon Tea House’ takes shape as a sculptural concrete pavilion encircled by a meditative water pond. Behet Bondzio Lin Architekten completed the 95 sqm project at the client’s request, incorporating three simple programs: a tea house, a restroom, and a pantry. Beyond laying out the design, the architects were also invited to keep one essential criterion in mind: achieving thermal comfort without resorting to artificial air conditioning systems.

all images © YuChen Chao

achieving natural thermal comfort

Sited on mountainous grounds, the ‘Watermoon Tea House’ pavilion is completely exposed to the sun from the south and strong winds from the northeast. With that in mind, the practice crowned the pavilion with two staggered, south-facing, curved concrete plates that help control airflow and introduce a pleasant southern wind to the interiors. ‘The vertical dislocation between the two curved plates and the horizontal concrete plate that canopies the front platform allows the solar radiation into the space washing over the tea table’s surface during the colder season,’ writes the Behet Bondzio Lin Architekten team.

‘Watermoon Tea House’ sits atop a hill

Complementing the reinforced concrete structure is a triangular-shaped Burmese Teak wood lattice on the north façade, blocking the strong unpleasant winds coming from the northeast. Meanwhile, the pivoting doors, also made of Burmese Teak wood and situated on the perimeter of the plan, help control sunlight and direct airflow into the main lounge space.

As a final touch, the ‘Watermoon Tea House’ pavilion stands as an island in the middle of an oval-shaped water pond, elevated 60 cm over the water level on the east side and 30 cm on the west side. ‘The level changes on the pond allow for a natural water flow and help improve the space comfort, increasing the relative humidity in the air that flows into the space during the hot season,’ concludes the practice.

top view of the staggered and curved concrete roof