CREST
‘Crest’ is a rest area and restaurant situated on a gentle slope along a river bank. It is accessed from the main road and served by a pedestrian path descending along the 40-meter length of the project. ‘Crest’ is made of three distinct parts; a retaining wall and concrete foundation receiving a bamboo structure which in turns supports a pleated roof, covering a shaded area of around 150 sqm.
A double retaining wall houses the main facilities and services such as toilets and kitchen from which a series of concrete slabs cascades towards the river bank to partly function as seating. The bamboo structure is organized in three rows of columns secured along the slabs’ edges. 31 different size columns, made of bundles of bamboo poles, are each flaring upwards, splitting and bending in 4 different directions to delineate the specific roof profiles.
A succession of V-shaped channels aligned longitudinally with the retaining wall articulate the roof-scape, gradually changing from peaks to valleys. At one end of the wall, the roof crest peaks over 6 meters, echoing the mountainous silhouette in the background. Towards the other end, the roof channels downwards to eventually merge and disappear with the landscape.
The main social space below the roof is qualitatively demarked by the articulation of its ceiling plane. In areas identified with more solar exposure, bamboo poles are placed closer together to provide greater shading, whereas in zones with less direct sun exposure, the clearance between poles is increased. Consequently, this not only offers a unique and differentiated material expression but also a confortable space for leisure, responsive to its environment.
Design team: Olivier Ottevaere (project leader), Weijen Wang, Chad McKee, Yvonne Meng (project manager)
Students Team: He Yizhen, Ji Xiang, Liu Kaixuan, Sun Kexuan, Song Huiqing, Romeo Chang, Kevin Lai, Chan Shuman
Contractor: Anji ZhuJing bamboo technology co. LTD.
Client: Lingfeng management committee of Anji county, Zhejiang province.
Construction cost: 70, 000 RMB