Beijing
site plan
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Location: 130 km northeast of Beijing, China. Length: 5.1km Watch towers: 31 (spaced every 150m or so) 5-8m tall. Built: During the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). Restoration: Half restored and half rundown. Best times: spring and autumn green mountain scenery and comfortable weather.
noun
in·fin·i·ty
plural
in·fin·i·ties
1. The quality or state of being infinite. 2. Unbounded space, time, or quantity. 3. an indefinitely great amount or number.
The word ‘Infinity’ perfectly summarises the relationship between my structure and the landscape. As one moves between the solid, heavy, nature of the Great Wall and the airy, light nature of my structure, they experience a calming transition of emotions. Once in my structure, the individual is exposed to the spectacular, vast views through completely glass facades. With no distracting elements and minimal use of steel framing, an immediate connection to the sweeping tree spoilt hillside is created. This connection to infinite landscape and elevated, airy space, creates a feeling of weightlessness and tranquillity. Above people traffic and the heavy nature of the Great Wall, this David Jameson inspired structure is the perfect viewing platform to appreciate the Great Wall and surrounding landscape.
ISOMETRIC EXPLOSION
GREAT WALL OF CHINA JINSHANLING PASS M.HEYNEN
‘’ I have decided to further develop David Jameson’s teahouse, exploring the notion of ‘light and heavy’ as an expansion on Jun'ichirō Tanizaki’s notion of ‘light and dark’. I have also expanded on Jameson’s design intention for his teahouse to look like a lantern. To further express the notion of light and heavy, I am using minimalism as the style, eliminating steel beams and excess window frames. The windows now sit flush with the concrete slabs rather than inwards from the slab edges as in Jameson’s design. The heavy component of the design will be the Great Wall of China itself. To expand on the lantern design intention I have chosen to express verticality through making the building square rather than rectangular and doubling its height. The central pillar, which serves the purpose of supporting floating steel stairs, also visually adds to the building’s verticality.
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ground floor
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first floor
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top elevation
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section a
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south south east perspective
north north east perspective