Daydream Trail | During the Dinner Studio

In early 2023, Xiangshan, one of the host cities of the 19th Asian Games, launched a station creation program under the theme of "Youth and the Sea". The "Daydream Trail" project is one of the initial batch of seven highlight stations.

The "Daydream Trail" is located along the coastline of Songlanshan area in Xiangshan, lying adjacent to the Ningbo Xiangshan Sailing Centre. The building is a seawater tidal observation station connected to the coast by a trestle bridge. The outward appearance does not match the appearance of the Sailing Center and is in urgent need of restoration.

For reasons of security and confidentiality, the proprietor and administrative personnel have proposed temporarily closing the tidal station and trestle bridge the public. The organizers of the Stagecoach Project competition define the site it as a fascinating and revelatory "daydream".

When adding depth to our design, following negotiations with the owner, we decided to add a resting pavilion on the viewing platform opposite to the sea. This design would make up for our regrets at not being able to reach the tidal station, and to provide for better views.

A Poetic Narrative
The image of the "sea", as soon as it appears, seems to bring with a kind of distant and unreachable hazy feelings like we find in poetry. The sea in western literature symbolizes hope and freedom, and stands for beautiful views and lofty ideals in traditional Chinese poetry.

Under the sea fog, the coastline, the sporadic mass of vegetation and the trestle bridge, the stage is laid for the "daydream" theme. We walk through the pavilion and feel out way towards a beautiful and uncertain human life. 

An Inaccessible Ocean Tidal Observation Station

Isolated in the sea, this station is like a reflection of the moon in the water, an inaccessible daydream.

Hidden points of light, like a pulse full of power, drive us to breathe as one with nature.

Considering that the tide station remained in use for the construction cycle prior to the Asian Games, transforming the spot into a poetic narrative was the most easily realized strategy. The yellow paint of the original building and the trestle was changed to cement grey; the original form and structure of the building kept unchanged and the exterior covered with a white translucent mesh membrane to form a minimalist house with a pointed roof. The original building of the tide station gave the sense of being wrapped in an illusory "dream world", being concealed and revealed alternately.

Vines were planted on the trestle bridge. We look forward to the foliage blossoming over the entire bridge and adding another trace of time to the "Daydream Trail".

Lighting was given a variety of different modes, light effects and the tidal sounds, composing a dream field.

Twisting but accessible coastal vistas

Due to the inaccessibility of the tide station, the rest pavilion is the closest emotionally accessible place.

As you walk up the steps from the entrance of the spire, you may stumble across a time tunnel at the little house on the sea between the hard columns, among the light and shadow.

Based on the intended design of arriving at a dream land, the shape of the pavilion was folded into a corridor, responding to the relationship between the site, elevation and the existing large trees. The shape evolved from a triangular fold symbolizing a sailboat into the shape of a small house with a spire, echoing the tidal observation station.

The rest pavilion is made of the same material as the tidal station-a white semi-transparent mesh membrane. Suspended between the structure, the semi-transparent membrane floats in the air, revealing its flexibility when the sunlight falls. The light is filtered through the membrane, sparse and hazy, neutralizing the steel structure. The two buildings supplement each other, shaping a poetic intention of protected dreams.

The light effects and patterns of the rest pavilion are more abundant. When night falls, the interior of the lights continues to flicker, just like a colorful dream.

Poetry of the courageous and tender youth
Whether it's the tidal observation station in the distance or the rest pavilion in front of us, each harbors our prayers and imaginations for a better future. We hope that our design can keep these wishes and provide some consolation and strength to us in our constant marching forward, so that poetry can remain and dreams always exist.

Lead Architects: Xi Weidong

Photography: Zhu Yumeng

Website: https://www.coppakstudio.com/