Restaurant y Sea is the last construction completed in the triology of Vector Architects’ seashore series at Aranya Community in Beidaihe, China. The other two are “Seashore Library” and “Seashore Chapel”. The restaurant is situated right behind the library across the beach.
“In contrast to the library, where people come to read and gaze upon the sea on the terrace, the restaurant carries a more casual daily atmosphere with the sea acts as the backdrop.”, shared by Vector Architects.
Trees are interlocked within the fragmented spatial boundary and courtyards, their branches sway with the sea breeze and cast their shadow through the skylight onto the walls and floors.
The courtyards simultaneously divide and connect the surrounding spaces. The full height fair-faced cast-in-place concrete walls of the courtyards resist the sheer force of the whole building, which makes it possible to support the load of the thick eaves on columns of only 120mm in diameter, similar in diameter to the surrounding tree trunks.
There are alternative entrances to the restaurant, clear glass sliding doors are placed along the perimeter, by this people can approach the dining space from any direction. When fully opened on any given day, this door system erases the spatial boundary for the building.
According to Vector Architects: “Immersive natural light illuminate the dinning room. We consciously reduce the interference of excessive side light by controlling the clear height of the eaves, in order to create an atmosphere of being under a floating ‘cloud’ as a result of the light-filtering waffle beams.”
Light, wind and view in architecture are all the paths leading people to interact with nature. They closely integrate people with the outside world, and ultimately, an everyday space will imply a kind of spiritual meaning.
