Tea Pavilion
Different architectural volumes, delicately balanced in a state of apparent instability, come together to define this tea pavilion and social area by bufen atelier. Nestled at the edge of an old industrial building, the structure anchors a prominent corner in Beijing’s renowned 798 Art District — a context where creativity and post-industrial memory coexist in perpetual tension.
Despite its modest scale, the space is layered with complexity. It unfolds as a rhythmic sequence of closures and openings, a spatial experience without rigid perimeters. Rather than defining the interior with traditional boundaries, the pavilion relies on fluid transitions and visual permeability. At the heart of this dialogue is a large lateral opening — once a window, now a pivoting boundary — which, when fully open, dissolves the barrier between inside and out. This simple gesture transforms the intimate indoor space into an open-air extension of the surrounding urban garden, merging architecture with atmosphere.
The material palette draws from the raw language of the site while introducing subtle warmth and tactility. Hand-crafted brick tiles, raw cement finishes, and custom yellow terrazzo surfaces echo the honesty of construction while celebrating material expression. These materials were chosen not only for their visual quality, but for their ability to age, weather, and belong. Above, a suspended metal grid ceiling diffuses light across the space, creating a soft luminance that turns the interior into a glowing urban lantern by night — a quiet beacon within the industrial texture of 798.
Externally, the pavilion forms an urban punctuation point. A small yellow platform, almost a stage, extends into the street corner, engaging passersby and offering an unexpected moment of stillness amidst the tangle of roads and industrial pipework. It is at once an object, a space, and a social gesture — an invitation to pause, reflect, and connect.
