this modular building complex references traditional chinese folk houses 

all image © yaoli studio

for the early stages of the project, the building will be used as an experience and exhibition hall that celebrates the yellow rice wine cultural experience and features a bookstore and flower shop, among other functions. later, gad’s team will expand its role, turning it into a waterfront commercial building hosting three restaurants. 

southeast bird’s eye view

centering the building layout around the dashu river 

beside occupying the land of a former industrial facility, the project also borders the dashu river to the east, which became a focal point for the architects. they made full use of this on-site feature by stacking and retreating the building volume northwards — forming several roof terraces overlooking the dashu river and creating more possibilities for future spatial programs.

at ground level, on the riverside, the outdoors host a gray-colored and landscaped space designed to extend the interiors gradually. by doing so, the boundary between indoors and outdoors softens — forming a direct connection with the water surface.

the façade integrates elements of removable windows found in traditional jiangnan dwellings

a modular design with references to chinese folk houses 

drawing on the strong functional adaptability of traditional wooden frame architecture, the structure is built from 4.8m x 4.8m x 4.8m cubes. this module can simultaneously adapt to the plane and floor height requirements of typical spatial functions — i.e. exhibition room, shop, restaurant, toilet, elevator room, and so on. more importantly, gad completely mapped the modular unit to the building’s form and façade — creating a ‘unique architectural temperament‘, as the studio describes it. 

to form a deeper and more layered façade, the architects added another frame to the modular outer walls that reference the removable windows of jiangnan folk houses. ultimately, ‘modular space and modular form are highly unified, bringing the maximum degree of rapid prefabrication and installation while maintaining actual requirements of rapid construction and cost control,’ shares gad. 

southeast perspective of the shaoxing rice wine town reception room

a swift on-site installation dictated by choice of materials 

the original plan was to adopt a wooden structure, but that decision was quickly abandoned considering the tight cycle of the project, fire prevention standards, the local rainy climate, and the poor durability and high maintenance of wood. instead, the architects opted for a steel frame structure which is a faster and more controllable alternative.

once the building skeleton was set, and after careful investigation and comparison of various materials, the team decided to clad the outer walls with recycled bamboo. the bamboo planks are pre-processed into l-shaped members in the factory, which reduces the on-site assembling workload and joint treatment while improving construction speed and accuracy of on-site installation. overall, warm wood materials combined with a small-scale unit space create a humble, amiable, vibrant waterfront building and design language. 

south perspective

gray open space blurs the boundary between the interior and exterior

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project info:

name: shaoxing rice wine town reception room
location: shaoxing, zhejiang, china
construction dates: 12.2020 – 09.2021
total area: 2,113 sqm

architecture: gad
project lead: wei zhang 

project creator: kesuo wu
project team: yiran wang, xiaoyu sun, chenglong ma, hengyi cai, fangyuan yang, yuxin an
client: SUNAC china holdings (southeast region) group
structure: dianyu sun
water supply and drainage: lian zhang, qi huang
HVAC: fangfang li
electrical: guoping chen
interior design: interior architecture studio
landscape design: guangzhou guanji landscape co.
construction drawing design: gad
curtain wall design: classical decoration
floodlight design: bpi
materials: moso bamboo technology, coated glass, white fabric
photography: yaoli studio 

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lea zeitoun | designboom