Watermoon Tea House | Behet Bondzio Lin Architekten

Changhua is a Taiwanese city of two million located in the west of the island nation at the foot of a north-south ridge of hills. A tea pavilion was commissioned by a private client on a 3,000 square meter plot of land on Watermoon Mountain above the city. The main requirement of the project was to construct a building adapted to the prevailing climatic conditions – rainy, hot and humid summers and windy winters – that does not require air conditioning. However, in order to achieve thermal comfort for the building, which is exposed to the sun and strong north-easterly winds due to its exposed hillside location, we designed a roof made of recycled concrete, which consists of two concave, height-staggered and south-facing panels. The vertical displacement between the two curved panels and a horizontal concrete slab, which also covers the entrance area, creates openings that allow the sun's rays to enter the room and reach the surface of the tea table. In particular, the construction also serves to control the air flows. In summer, the pleasant southerly winds get into the building for cooling and can circulate there. The open interior with a separate functional area is around 100 square meters, the total height of the building is 5.7 meters. A triangular trellis of Burmese teak on the north facade blocks the strong north-east winter winds. The revolving doors on three sides of the facade, also made of teak, enable better control of the incidence of sunlight or shading and also ensure a direct flow of air in the lounge area. The pavilion also stands in the middle of an oval water basin, which allows for a natural flow of water due to the different height levels. The resulting increase in humidity also contributes to improving room comfort.

Project information

Location: (address) No. 1, Shuiyuetai Rd., Changhua City Design period: 2017 – 2020

Construction period: 2020 – 2021
Office Name: Behet Bondzio Lin Architekten
Project team: Behet Bondzio Lin Architekten
Lead Architect: Yu‐Han Michael Lin
Building system: RC construction

Technical data:
Plot Area: 3017 m2
Footprint: 113.9 m2
Gross Built Area: 94.65 m2
Total Building Height: 5.7m above the water level

Program / Use / Building Function: Tea pavilion + restroom and pantry

Office Website: www.2bxl.com
Social Media Accounts (Instagram): behetbondziolinarchitekten

Photographs: ©YuChen Chao Photography - www.behance.net/yuchenchao