Sanxia Tea Town Exhibition Centre in China Tea Valley

Sanxia Tea Town Exhibition Centre is located in the Sanxia Tea Town, offering cultural and tourist services in the Sanxia Tea Town and an important display window for the culture of the Sanxia Tea Valley.

For this project, ArchStudio utilised the limited spare space in the tea garden to arrange the building volumes in a seamless and fragmented manner. This design strategy integrated the architecture into the surrounding tea garden landscape as much as possible, complementing and connecting with the existing natural landform to balance iconic identity and functionality.

The centre sits on two plots of land, comprising flat open spaces, as well as winding tea mountains. A bridge-like structure connects the existing traditional house and the multi-level elevation difference, maximising the view of tea garden landscape from the interior space. 

On one of the plots, the bridge forms two “viewing windows”, a wide one and a long one, designed to frame the most characteristic tea fields nearby and the mountainous scenery far away. Like tree branches, the two “viewing windows” compose a small performance space. 

Featuring a sense of openness, the buildings are designed with transparent facades, accesses in different heights and directions, and a complete circulation path like a Mobius loop that follows the internal circulation organisation. Undulating large steps resembling tea fields connect with the square and embrace tourists in a welcoming gesture. They also serve as a natural backdrop for activities at the square. Walking upwards along the steps leads to the main leisure space on the second floor.

Where the building’s curve stretches through the outdoor corridor to the eastern and western wings. At the eastern end, the gentle outdoor sloping steps enclose a small courtyard with the traditional local house. Visitors can walk up to the roof terrace from there easily and freely.

The western building features a slightly lifted rooftop that forms steps, creating a small outdoor activity square facing the northern landscape. Outdoor steps are also arranged here to connect with the interior on the second floor. In the center of the building, spiral stairs and elevators serve as the core of traffic, vertically connecting the first floor, the second floor, and the roof terrace.

The indoor functional areas are arranged in the shape of islands, and LED screens are installed on the wall to facilitate all kinds of activities. Meanwhile, the west side of the first floor is a coworking area that can be operated independently.

The main body of the “bridge” is on the second floor and serves as a cafe and book bar. The bookshelves, made of curved laminated bamboo panels, are inspired by tea fields and are combined with coffee tables to divide the space into different areas, allowing visitors to overlook the views while reading and sipping coffee.

The traditional house to the east side of the second floor has been renovated and connected with the main body of the new building. It serves as the main dining area, with an open dining space, private dining rooms, tea room, chess & card room, and more.

Materials like timber and rammed-earth finishes set the tone of the restaurant to respond to the locality of the building. The roof terrace offers a stunning overlooking view to the surrounding landscape, perfect for camping or holding a party under the stars. 

The adjacent plot houses an audio-visual hall and a multi-functional hall that can accommodate up to 100 people. These halls can be used for film and TV show performances, wedding ceremonies, and other activities. The motorised screen panel system, which can be rotated and slid, allows for flexible modes of the audio-video hall. When the screen panels are opened, the tea garden landscape comes into view and serves as a natural background for music performances. When the panels are closed, the space becomes fully light-proof, providing a better environment for projections. The multi-functional hall offers a broad field of view and can be used as an ancillary space for the audio-visual hall or as an independent small exhibition space.

Throughout, there is an unmistakable atmosphere of calm and tranquil.

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