Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE

Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© Chengqiang Huang

Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE

NEME Studio Architects

ARCHITECTS
NEME Studio Architects

DESIGN TEAM LEADER
Chengqiang Huang,Mincong Deng

DESIGN TEAM
Jianfeng Luo, Xiaofeng Lin,Zhipeng Feng(internship)

CONSTRUCTION
Tan

SITE DESIGN
Jianfeng Luo

CLIENTS
FEI PATISSERIE

PHOTOGRAPHS
Chengqiang Huang, An Shao, Bo Wang, Mincong Deng, Zhenzhong He, NEME Studio Architects

AREA
80 m²

YEAR
2023

LOCATION
Foshan, China

CATEGORY
Retail, Interior Design

Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© Chengqiang Huang

Text description provided by the architects.

The project is located in a granary built by Shunde County in the 1980s.

Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© Chengqiang Huang
Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© Chengqiang Huang
Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© Chengqiang Huang

Next to the 70m wide river is the Shunde Lunjiao Dachong, which has been the venue for dragon boat races, and dragon boat crews can often be seen shuttling through the river.

Although it is located at the entrance of the building, the external facade is covered by plants, and the interior is dim, while the internal staircase leading to the first floor (for other tenants) takes up 2/3 of the space, resulting in the interior being only 3m wide at the narrowest point, and at the same time, at a floor height of 4.2m, the space at the bottom of the staircase creates a sense of oppression and is difficult to use.

Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© Chengqiang Huang
Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© Chengqiang Huang
Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© Zhenzhong He

Our aim was to provide a comfortable and complete service space while at the same time combining the characteristics of the site with a sense of being here and now for the FEI, clients, and passers-by.

Walking from the residential area to the riverside, you pass through a field of weeds; there is no shade along the way, and in Shunde's long summer, the sun is fierce, often rainstorms, resulting in humidity and sultriness, where we hope that people arriving at the FEI can be taken care of with shade and cool breeze, leaving a place of relaxation and comfortable.

Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© Chengqiang Huang
Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© Zhenzhong He

In terms of design, we placed a wooden pavilion between the original glass box and the outdoor area.

The pavilion transforms the high and narrow space into a more pleasant scale while providing shade and confidence for different people; the new pavilion roof lowers the line of sight to 2.6m, and the additional wooden columns extend the sense of indoor space, as well as providing a moderate sense of enclosure for people resting outdoors, and the overall dark color filters out a lot of noisy information, allowing people to get closer to nature and the landscape.

Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© Chengqiang Huang
Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© Chengqiang Huang

In close proximity to the human scale, we use a large area of wood and plywood, paving the floor and skirting the use of rough granite.

These materials, with the passage of time, and frequent use, will slowly change, and the real texture of the material is also better to highlight the exquisite partisserie, warm ceramic lamps, and curtains for the square space to bring a little breath of relaxation.

Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© Chengqiang Huang
Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© Chengqiang Huang

In this way, the industrial and commercial precision of the galvanized steel and glass-aluminum curtain wall is reduced, allowing the patisserie to blend in easily with nature.

Taking into account the characteristics of the site, we designed tables for different positions indoors and outdoors, some of which were made from leftover wood:

Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© Chengqiang Huang
Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© Chengqiang Huang

window tables for sitting with the outdoor plants and the river, tatami mats, and square tables for sitting with people, and wooden railings for holding snacks outdoors, and so on.

Every morning, sunlight enters the house through the newly opened wooden windows and caresses the stone floor, tatami mats, or wooden walls;

Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© Chengqiang Huang
Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© Zhenzhong He

in the afternoon, the outdoor plants are illuminated, reflecting a greenish color in the darkened interior; and at sunset, the long wooden pavilions are flooded with the shimmering light of the river.


Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE



Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© An Shao
Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© An Shao
Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© Chengqiang Huang
Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© Chengqiang Huang
Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© Chengqiang Huang
Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© Mincong Deng
Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© Mincong Deng
Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© Chengqiang Huang
Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© An Shao


Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© Mincong Deng
Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© Chengqiang Huang
Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© Chengqiang Huang
Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© An Shao
Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© Chengqiang Huang
Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© Mincong Deng
Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© An Shao
Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
© An Shao


Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
Sectional-Perspective
Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
Section


Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
Exploded-drawing
Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
Design-plan


Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
diagram
Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
Elevation


Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
Site map. Image © NEME Studio Architects


Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
Before renovation - interior and exterior. Image © NEME Studio Architects
Wooden Pavilion by the River- FEI PATISSERIE
Design and make the table according to the remaining timber. Image © NEME Studio Architects