Taihu Lake Water Pavilion

Taihu Lake Water Pavilion

ECOLOGICAL BEACON

The project is located on Jade Island of the famous Lake Tai, where the scenic spots are experiencing a degradation of the natural environment due to tourist traffic. While the original intent is to create an art sculpture for the panoramic viewing of Lake Tai, the art piece itself can be designed as a functional machine that helps to create a more natural living environment on the island.

With an aim to revitalize the entire island route, the project also calls for a long-term strategy to improve tourist facilities. While its primary function is as a panorama viewing deck, it is designed to reduce the human impact on the environment. The spiral-bowl shape is designed to capture rain water that flows continuously to the bottom, where an advanced filtration system cleanses the water for both commercial as well as maintenance use. The spiral is designed such that its rise angle allows ease of handi­cap accessibility to ascend to the viewing point without the use of expensive and energy-consuming elevators.

The spiral also unfurls into a ribbon of elevated walkways around the island, allowing visitors to explore various flora and fauna. This also separates human activity from the sensitive natural habitats, and thus creating a new form of ecological park in Jade Island.