China. A stage in the forest

Located in Ji Lin, China, the viewing platform by Meta-projects is situated on a hillside between a forest and a slope. The site is surrounded by luscious greenery in summer and covered by the white snow in winter. Because the orientation of the distant view (horizontal unfolding lake), and the close view (vertical extending slope) is at a different angle, the building results in a twisted gesture between the wood “stage” and the concrete “base”.

The building combines rough materiality with sensuous forms. Seen from afar, the “stage” is a dark, free-floating monolith in the landscape, with a heavy concrete “base”. A pair of ovals openings cut through the volume, one on the roof leading sunlight and snowflake into the space, the other one on the floor intriguing interaction between people above and under the “stage”. The red cedar wall has been left untreated and is vivid in colour shades, in contrast to the building’s dark Shou-Sugi-Ban exterior.