Tide's Echo Hall
The Tide's Echo Hall is situated in the Coastal Park along Sanggou Bay in Rongcheng, Shandong Province, with the Yellow Sea to the east and a vast ecological shelterbelt to the west. Its prime location creates a distinctive peninsula-like setting, "embraced by greenery on three sides and open to the sea on one side." The client envisions the site as a multifunctional cultural and tourism hub, seamlessly integrating conference, exhibition, banquet, dining, and sightseeing facilities, fostering a harmonious connection between human activity and the coastal ecosystem.
The site is located in the central area of the Coastal Park, extending along both sides of the coastal ecological promenade, with a total area of 11,200 square meters. Characterized by gently sloping terrain, the site nestles against a dense black pine forest while opening toward the expansive sea, offering sweeping panoramic views. This duality of natural environment—the vastness of the ocean and the serenity of the woods—provides a rich source of inspiration for the architectural design.
The overall layout is organized into three distinct zones based on the unique characteristics of the site and its landscape features, with each zone expressing a distinct architectural identity. The Tide's Echo Hall, serving as the main exhibition and conference venue, is positioned on the northeastern side of the site, closest to the sea. The interplay of nested volumes beneath the roof creates a dynamic sequence of spaces, while fostering an open environment with multi-directional views. The restaurant, as the supporting facility, is situated on the western side of the site, where the black pine forest acts as a natural buffer. Centered around a central courtyard, the design creates an intimate and tranquil spatial experience. The coastal food court stretches horizontally along the coastline, featuring a continuous and expansive sea-facing façade that maximizes natural light and ocean views, reinforcing its open and public character. The architectural complex is intricately integrated with the site across three spatial dimensions. As visitors navigate through the spaces, the boundaries between interior and exterior are continually redefined, creating a dynamic and layered spatial journey that responds to both the natural and built environment.
Abstraction of Natural Imagery
As the largest volume, the Tide's Echo Hall faces the sea, serving as both a venue for large-scale events and a vital coastal platform for the public. Its architectural form reflects a clear spatial orientation: on the west side, the building presents a humble gesture toward the black pine forest, creating a tranquil arrival experience through a layered entrance sequence; on the east side, it stretches out towards the sea, creating a panoramic viewing platform that appears to float above the tides. The subtly undulating roof serves as the most expressive architectural element. Its pure white curved surface becomes a striking visual focal point, evoking the image of a sail billowing gracefully in the sea breeze. The delicate contour and ultra-thin roof structure achieve an extreme sense of lightness, enhancing the impression of movement and fluidity. Portions of the cantilevered roof are supported by slender columns, further highlighting the dynamic balance between strength and elegance.
The restaurant, nestled within the woods, intentionally features a low-profile to express respect for its surrounding environment. Its undulating roof forms a harmonious contrast with the roof of the Tide's Echo Hall, creating a dynamic interplay of heights. In terms of materiality, the building employs red concrete with wooden formwork, a warm and rustic material that resonates with the natural tones of the forest, enhancing the architectural dialogue with its surroundings.
The food court is arranged in a linear layout along the coastline, with their elongated form stretching between the woods and the beach. This configuration creates an open and transparent viewing interface, offering the public a direct and immersive experience with the sea, sky, and forest. Spanning 170 meters, the building features a zigzag roof, which maximizes the ocean view through large-span folded plate structures. This design not only optimizes the visual experience but also introduces rhythm and variety to the building's form. The continuous floor-to-ceiling glass curtain wall system dissolves the physical boundary between interior and exterior, making the roof appear to float in mid-air. This amplifies the building’s sense of lightness while blurring the lines between indoor and outdoor spaces.
Spatial Cluster beneath the Roof
To mediate the discrepancy between the roof's monumental scale and human dimensions, the design beneath the roof adopts a strategy of "breaking down the whole into smaller parts"—much like a cluster of coastal rocks. Multiple smaller volumes are staggered and stacked, with precise geometric cuts and rotations, creating a rich sequence of layered indoor and outdoor spaces that impart a sculptural presence. The interplay between protrusions and recesses, angular and rounded forms, along with varied proportional relationships, results in a dynamic yet balanced spatial composition. Each individual volume serves as a distinct spatial container, accommodating functions such as conference room and multi-functional hall, while their collective arrangement forms a coherent spatial narrative. Visitors experience the flow and transformation of space, as if traversing between the giant rocks along the coastline—offering both a sense of exploration and tranquil coexistence with nature. The facades achieve visual coherence through an interplay of solid and void, creating rhythmic elevation while maintaining overall unity.
Inside the volumes, a multi-layered ceiling system creates "spaces within spaces," dividing areas into different functional and spatial units, imbuing each with its own unique character and atmosphere. The circular main hall and the deep, long multifunctional conference hall serve as the primary volume, providing flexible large spaces to accommodate a variety of activities. Circulation spaces act like city streets, linking various functional zones, while different openings, platforms, and balconies create multiple sightlines that enhance the vitality and diversity of the space. This dynamic interplay generates an experience that evokes the "urbanity" of the space.
Paths and Promenade
The spatial design emphasizes the interaction between interior and exterior, blending nature with architecture through open platforms and flexible circulation paths, creating a continuous spatial narrative. The second-level viewing platform is conceived as an open public space, with the introduction of ramps making "promenade" the core of the architectural experience. Visitors ascend gently along the ramp, witnessing the shift in scenery from the forest to the sea, while also experiencing subtle transitions in architectural form and space. At times, the building's walls obscure the view, while at other moments, they open up entirely, shifting from serenity to expansiveness, from enclosed to open. Upon reaching the second floor, the view unfolds dramatically, with the sweeping curved roof appearing to extend endlessly toward the sea. This dynamic interplay of solid and void further enriches the promenade experience, giving the space a flowing, ever-changing quality.
In this promenade narrative, the path serves both as a transition from outdoor to interior space and as a way to extending the experience within. It blurs the traditional boundaries between inside and out, transforming the building from a closed, private entity into an open, urban-seafront interface. Whether standing on the semi-outdoor viewing platform, gazing at the horizon, or sheltered by the building while listening to the symphony of waves and pines, visitors experience a delicate balance between architecture and nature, embracing the fluidity and openness of space.
CREDITS
Principal architect: HUA Li | TAO (Trace Architecture Office)
Design team: HUA Li, WANG Yue, MA Qianran, ZOU Xingfei, ZHANG Jingyi, WANG Langhuan, NIAN Tie, GU Yu, HE Mufei, ZHAO Xiayu, YIN Yihan, ZHANG Dayong, LI Hengyu
Structural engineer: MA Zhigang, ZHAO Xiaolei, MENG Lei
MEP engineer: LV Jianjun and Kcalin design group MEP engineer: LI Xin, LI Wei
Lighting consultant: z design and planning
