ARCHITECTURAL FOCUS
visitors’ circulation routes, forging a progressive spatial experience of guiding the view, overlooking the lake, and pausing to linger.
The dynamic undulations of the roof form create three distinctive spatial experiences: At the southern end, the low-hanging overhanging eave acts as a visual anchor, its slope following the incline of the shoreline to craft an intimate, human-scaled atmosphere that draws the eye toward the water surface; at the central archways, the roof rises abruptly like a parted forest canopy, serving as a transportation hub and a visual corridor— visitors passing through it experience a poetic shift from the“ dappled lake light through forest gaps” as they move between the enclosed garden path and the open lake view; the roof ascends to its highest point at the northern end, where an expansive cantilevered terrace stretches out over the lake. Here, wooden columns mimic the upward growth of tree trunks, and interlaced wooden beams replicate the sparse and dense arrangement of treetops, maximizing the framing of lake views and completing the closed loop of the viewing experience.
On the construction level, the project adopts modern glued laminated timber as the primary material. The blossoming wooden columns are crafted with fulltimber cutting technology, with the forked column capitals connecting naturally to the roof canopy. The bending radii of the roof wooden beams are controlled through parametric design, and after multiple model iterations, eight clusters of blossoming wooden columns were determined as the main load-bearing components. The roof structure was upgraded from a two-way crossed system to a three-way crossed one, forming a grid of hexagonal and triangular units. This design not only meets mechanical requirements but also reinforces the imagery of a dense forest canopy with slender structural members, achieving a balanced integration of economic efficiency and structural safety.
During construction, the project achieved precise form control through digital and industrial prefabrication, while optimizing the dimensions of wooden components via digital tools to bring out the tactile craftsmanship of wood at a human scale. By day, the wooden structure of the eaves casts shadows onto the glass facades, evoking an immersive layered forest canopy ambiance; by night, the interior lights are turned on, blurring the boundaries of the curtain walls and allowing the entire curved wooden structure to exude vivid fluidity in full display.
Inspired by the lakeside scenery, this restaurant leverages digital wooden structure design and construction to perfectly integrate industrial precision control with traditional woodworking craftsmanship. It ultimately shapes a free and vivid waterfront space that coexists in harmony with nature, emerging as an iconic landmark in Dingzhou Silk Road Friendship Garden that boasts both outstanding viewing value and an immersive experiential feel.
• Architects: THAD SUP Atelier
• Area: 2400 m ²
• Photographs: Xiaoqing Guan, Xinxing Chen
• Structural Consultancy: LuAn Lu Partners Structure Consulting
• Construction: DDON
• Lighting Design: One Lighting Studio of THAD
• Landscape Design: DDON
www. supatelier. com
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