Whimsical Cloud-Inspired Pavilions Transform Rural China
In the serene rice fields of Dun'ao Village, Zhejiang Province, a playful architectural intervention has emerged. The Down in the Clouds pavilions, designed by Practice on Earth and Increments Studio, replace three abandoned structures with a lighthearted and imaginative approach to promote agrotourism.
A Fusion of Shipping Containers and Inflatables
The pavilions are a creative blend of modified steel shipping containers and white inflatables, designed to evoke the ethereal quality of clouds. This unique combination serves as a cafe, reading room, and cinema, offering visitors a multifunctional space to enjoy the rural landscape.
The Cloud Café: A Tower of Imagination
The first pavilion, The Cloud Café, features a shipping container raised on wooden decking, creating a tower-like form. An oversized inflatable canopy, aptly named the "cloud," shelters the decking and provides a whimsical entrance to an elevated viewpoint.
"The design seeks to amplify the site's atmosphere of stillness and peace, inviting visitors to pause and reconnect with the rural landscape," the architects shared.
Cinema and Library: Interactive Spaces
The cinema space is housed in a shipping container raised at one end by a giant balloon-like inflatable, creating a sloped internal space with stepped seating. Meanwhile, the library is surrounded by large inflatable balls, requiring visitors to squeeze between them to access the reading area.
"This sense of intrigue invites closer engagement with the structures, ultimately encouraging playful interaction between architecture, nature, the body, and the community," the architects added.
Promoting Rural Tourism
This project is part of a broader initiative to revitalize rural and remote areas in China through architectural interventions. By blending functionality with whimsy, the Down in the Clouds pavilions offer a fresh perspective on rural tourism.
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