egret bay art museum's 'boundless theater' is a cloud of woven steel mesh

learning from the natural context

Beijing Guanzhan Landscape and Planning presents its ‘Boundless Theater’ for the Egret Bay art museum, located in Rizhao, a city in China‘s Shandong Province. The team describes the context: ‘It is located at the east foot of Wulian mountain, a famous Buddhist mountain. Mr. Su Dongpo visited the mountain many times during the reign of the governor of Mizhou, and left a good sentence of ‘its beauty does not reduce the wild geese.’

‘The construction concept of the town is to ‘reshape the relationship between man and nature.’ The project combines the aesthetic space with the natural landscape and various business forms. After more than ten years of construction, it seems to be an ideal place for people to live. In the early spring of this year, Mr. Xu qunde, the founder of egret Bay, went on an outing with me. I talked to him about a building I had built before.’

all images © Zhiyi-jianzhu New Media Studio, unless otherwise stated | @archi_translator

the design of the boundless theater at egret bay

Describing its Boundless Theater at Egret Bay, the architects continue: ‘There was a process photo. In the picture, there was a woven curved steel mesh floating lightly in the woods hidden by mist. Seeing this picture, Mr. Xu immediately said that there was a place in egret bay where one could be woven, which was located in the cherry blossom Valley mentioned above.

‘Mr. Xu wants to build a building in the center of Cherry Valley as a place for music, dance, drama, and other artistic activities. He described to me that his ideal state is “nature is the best”, the cherry tree is the main body, and the architecture is hidden in it. The two form a perfect relationship. As I understand it, this building is like a small thatched canopy hidden in deep mountains and lakes in Chinese landscape painting, facing the landscape with an elegant attitude, and taking nature as the soul.’

‘We also agreed that the steel mesh in the picture should evolve into a permanent building. People can not only swim but also watch the blooming cherry blossoms through the mesh gap. However, everything is vague and unknown. What kind of architecture will be produced in a randomly planted cherry forest? In my imagination, the theater should be a streamlined body, a surrounding space, in which people can shuttle freely.’

‘I imagine that when cherry blossoms are blooming all over the sky, heaven and earth, cherry trees, the theater will accommodate me, cherry trees are the main, the theater is the second, and I am the free element in this scene. For example, in the picture of residence in Fuchun mountain, the mountains and forests are extended, the residence is secluded, and the little characters are free spots.’

‘On the west side of the stage, there is a huge stone, which looks like a huge stone bed. At one end of the stone, there is a large cherry tree, which stretches like the Feng Shui tree at the head of each village in the old days. Often, the wife is waiting for the husband who works in the field, and the mother is waiting for the return of the wanderer. In the wind of summer night, it is a pleasant place for the elderly and children in the village.’

‘This picture has not been seen for a long time today. I compare this tree to the Feng Shui tree at the head of the village, weaving a circular shed space. The round diameter of the ground is based on the boulder, and the height of the top is limited to the cherry branch. After completion, a pink cherry falls to the dome, leaving a hole in the direction facing the southern mountain forest for you to come.’

‘The eastern part of the stage connects the entrance in the other direction and evolves into a changing corridor between four cherry trees. There are two main cherry trees opposite the main stage. Taking the tree as the axis, they form two fans, which are very similar to the wings of birds. The west of the site is the main entrance.’

‘As a corresponding, a semicircular dome was carefully woven in the east of the site. After five days, three workers demolished it three times and finally completed it. The dome is independent and beautiful. However, looking at the whole site, it seems too crowded, so Luo Dan cut his hand and reluctantly demolished it.’