The Water Drop Library / 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio

LIBRARY HUIZHOU, CHINA

• Architects: 3andwich Design / He Wei Studio
• Area : 450 m²
• Year : 2022
• Photographs :Weiqi Jin, Huizhou Shuangyue Bay Real Estate Investment and Development Co., Ltd.
• Manufacturers :  典跃, 坚朗, 龙玻
• Landscape Design : TOPOS Landscape Architects
• Lighting https://www.archdaily.com/search/professionals/expertise/engineering-consulting_lighting?ad_source=project-specs&ad_medium=main-spec&ad_campaign=prof_spec

Site conditions: advantages and challenges coexisting. The building is located in Shuangyue Bay Central Park, Pinghai Town, Huizhou City, Guangdong Province, China. The park is between the ancient town of Pinghai and the sea, not far from the famous Shuangyue Bay Turtle Reserve. The overall terrain of the park is high in the north and low in the south, with hills and valleys in the north and the sea in the south. The project base is close to the center of the park and is an independent and prominent “peninsula-shaped” hill. The trend of the hill is from northeast to southwest, so the view in the north is dominated by hills and valleys, and the view in the south is 270 degrees of excellent sea view. The hills in the park are soft in shape and not magnificent, but there are a number of boulders, which provide important support for the shaping of the landscape.

There are also challenges in the base: several residential buildings exist in the east and southeast of the base, and the high volume of the residence blocks the sight of the building to a certain extent. In addition, the height of the library must be strictly controlled to avoid blocking the sight of low-rise residents on the north side of the building to watch the sea. There is a multi-story building southwest of the park, the appearance is not ideal, and it also has a negative impact on the sea view of the library.

Location and shape: a white library under a pool of water. The design strives to integrate the cultural attribute of the library, the environmental attribute of the site, and the public attribute of contemporary society. The location of the building is planned at the end of the mountain top and arranged at the cliff mouth according to the topographic height difference. The building is integrated with the hill and becomes a part of the site. Such treatment can not only make the library have the largest viewing surface, but also control the height of the building to the greatest extent on the premise of reducing the amount of earthwork, without blocking the view of the sea of the residence behind.

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