Design Idea

Kyoto has a long history in Japan and is one of the important birthplaces of the Japanese tea ceremony. In Kyoto, the tea ceremony is regarded as an art and culture whose traditions are inseparable from Japanese history, philosophy, and religion.

The history of tea in Kyoto can be traced back to the 9th century. At that time, tea was mainly used as a medicinal herb. Later, tea gradually became a popular beverage, especially among the nobility and samurai. In the 14th century, Japanese tea ceremony culture developed in Kyoto and became an important cultural activity. In Kyoto, there are many historical sites and traditional cultural places related to the tea ceremony.

Ippodo Tea is known as "one of the best matcha teas in Japan" and is famous for its high quality Japanese green teas such as Uji Matcha, Genmaicha and Sencha.

- Sencha is one of the most common teas in Japan and one of the most common teas in Kyoto.This tea is made from tea leaves that are roasted and crushed into a fine powder. Sencha is usually served with dessert during the tea ceremony.

- Matcha is one of the essential teas in the Kyoto tea ceremony. Matcha is made from high-quality green tea leaves that are stone-ground to a fine powder. This tea is considered very noble and precious because it requires an elaborate production process and high-quality raw materials. Matcha is considered to be a respected and appreciated tea in the tea ceremony.

- Kyoto is also famous for its genmaicha. This tea is made from a blend of green tea and brown rice and has a light taste and a strong aroma. Genmaicha is considered a very healthy tea.

I deconstructed the above colors in a collage style and combined them with my understanding and tea ceremony experience to finalize the materials. In the process, I chose materials that would make the tea room more harmonious, natural, and calm. For example, I chose wood as the primary material because it creates a warm and cozy atmosphere and also fits the spirit of the tea ceremony in pursuing natural harmony.

In addition to wood, I used other materials to enrich the tea room's design. For example, I chose a green carpet because it reflects the spirit of the pursuit of natural harmony in the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. In addition, I also chose washi paper to decorate the tea room to enhance the traditional Japanese atmosphere of the tea room.

Soft yellow lighting can create a warm, cozy atmosphere for wood materials, making them look more natural and organic. On the other hand, cooler lighting, such as blue light can accentuate the coolness of a marble or metal surface. The height of the lighting position can also impact the material effect. For example, lights above the ceiling can create a soft ambient glow for marble and metal surfaces, making them appear smoother and shinier. On the other hand, lights on the floor can create a more natural light effect for wood materials, enhancing their texture and grain.

Furniture Plan

Restroom

Lounge

Reception

Experience

Exhibition & Display

Employee Meeting Room

Chinese people have been traditionally in awe of death since ancient times and regarding death as one of the most important things in life. Therefore, there are many ceremonies to pay tribute to the deceased ones.

Behind these rituals it is the ancient Chinese religious philosophy and folk myths. People express their grief and pin their emotions on their deceased family by these rituals. But there are very few architectures serving for such activities. Therefore, I intend to use spaces to show people's awe of death and provide a space for people to mourn the dead.

Cultural Context

In Chinese customs, mourning and paying tribute to the deceased ones every year at Qingming Festival has been a tradition since the ancient times. People visit tombs to honor the memory of the dead.

In folk tradition, there are three main ways for people to pay tribute: burning paper money (paper made to resemble money) for their deceased family, burying relics, and honoring the memory of the deceased with family members by telling stories in their life, so as to ensure that their memory lives on.

1. Burning paper money. People believe that after death, a person’s soul will enter into another world (the underworld) and then continue to live there.The ancient Chinese believed that the living can send money to the dead by burning paper money, so as to provide them with a comfortable afterlife in the underworld.

Site Analysis

2. Burying relics. According to folk customs, family will bury the ashes and favorite items of the deceased, so that the deceased will have a home in the underworld and can still have those things that he or she liked when alive. And people can pin their grief on these relics.

3. Honoring the memory of the deceased. People will tell the stories of the dead in his life because in folklore the deceased can hear it in the underworld when someone talks about them, and thus feel gratified knowing that they have not been forgotten, so that they can, pass through the gate of life and death to reunite with their family in their family’s dreams.

This cemetery is located in the northwest of Beijing. It is where my grandparents are buried, and therefore the place where I come to pay tribute to them every Qingming Festival. However, I found that the function in the cemetery is rather simple. There is only a large stretch of cemetery, no place to store relics, no quiet places for private talks, and even no place to burn paper money. It’s not convenient for people to honor the memory of the deceased through traditional Chinese rituals. Therefore, I choose an undeveloped triangular plot in the cemetery to allow people to honor their deceased ones in a traditional way.