scaffolding wrapped in translucent cloth assembles temporary pavilion on chinese beach

‘zone out space’ by atelier heimat took shape as a temporary pavilion assembled by tube and clamp scaffolding system wrapping on translucent fabric. located on a beach of hebei province, china, the project took part in ‘migratory birds 300’, an important sector of aranya theatre festival, which asked for a short-term building to exhibit images and installations. with an overall budget of RMB 200,000 (around 20,000 euro) and only seven days construction schedule, the initial idea of the event executive committee was to use refurbished containers construction system to cope with the harsh project constraints.

the project adopts an airy and light character, matching the site requirements

all images courtesy of  yumeng zhu, unless stated otherwise

atelier heimat came up with a new concept, responding more efficiently to the unusual site, located on a 100 meters wide beach and better matching the specific event of the festival. to the east of the beach is the endless sea, with an open view, direct daylight, ocean breezes, and moist air. to the west, is a high-end residential community, with a horizontal landscape and buildings completed or under construction forming a scene of a new growing town. after a comprehensive comparison, the tube and clamp scaffolding system was ultimately selected, which is commonly used on construction sites. this auxiliary equipment for construction is highly flexible and easy to use, and its light and airy character would be consistent with spatial intent.

the sea, beach, and sky are so pure that come with primal feeling and a sense of timelessness

image courtesy of atelier heimat

the functional rooms for the exhibition are assembled from shuttering plywood used in cast concrete, which is an industrial sheet with good mechanical performance and low cost. the size of the boxes is designed according to the modulus of 1220mm x 2440mm of the wood sheet, to reduce cutting as possible. the design of stairs and corridors is also based on this principle. as a result, most unit dimensions of the scaffold framework are set at 1.3m horizontally and 1.6m vertically.

construction strategy efficiency comes first in the case of this project, which is because of the pressure of time and cost

image courtesy of atelier heimat

warm yellow, which is commonly used in scaffolding, was used to reduce the industrial and cold feeling of metal tubes. the use of color erases the conventional impression of the material and allows people to experience more of the emotions that come from it. the same consideration was given to the selection of black shuttering plywood that forms the boxes of the exhibition room. the steel frame is thin and dense yet lightweight and open, while the black exhibition rooms are isolated from the surrounding environment and the flow of time.

with a design-time of fewer than 20 days and a construction time of only 7 days, the selection of a well-developed and easy-to-build construction system was the top priority for the design work

image courtesy of atelier heimat

a translucent, flexible material wraps the entire building facade. after several rounds of comparison of reflective, transparent, texture, and other material characteristics, the white mesh cloth was selected. this material, which is often used as the lining of clothes, has a soft texture and dense holes, and its blurred quality weakens the spatial boundary between interior and exterior. the building changes its appearance with the time of the day, sometimes it stands as a white box, sometimes it reveals indoor frames and figures. 

the mesh cloth permits sunlight to shine through and the sea breeze blow through

the breathable nature of the mesh cloth eliminates the need for holes in the entire facade. all the structural rods, exhibition spaces, stairs and other architectural elements are enveloped in this soft, translucent material, as well as the people who break in. the temporary building went through completion and annihilation, and eventually become a memory. when the building was demolished, the beach went back to what it had been before, as if nothing had happened.

the interior floor also allows beach spreading

space, material and people exist equally in this ‘hazy’ world

people can sense the nature characters flowing into the indoor space

people can sense the nature characters flowing into the indoor space

project info:

name: ‘zone out space’

architects: atelier heimat

design team: dongguang zhang, wenjuan liu, zhiwei sun, ying zhou, xiurong cui

lighting consultant: tianhua dong

construction management: changhai zhang, huanyi bai, xiangwen wu, yang li

area: 480 sqm

location: beidaihe new area, qinhuangdao city, hebei province

cost: RMB 200000

design time: may, 2021

completed time: june, 2021

client: event executive committee of aranya theatre festival ‘migratory birds 300’

photography: yumeng zhu, atelier heimat

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: christina petridou | designboom