Fun on the Beach

12. December 2012

China has an unbelievable 14,500 kilometers of coastline, not including the islands. From the north to the south, three different seas follow each other: The Yellow Sea with the Gulf of Bohai, the East China Sea and the South China Sea. Only the island of Hainan east of Vietnam is known in the West for beach holidays. Slowly – with the development of leisure activities – China's beaches are becoming a resource for development. Rizhao City, the City of Sunshine, has about 865,000 thousand inhabitants in the urban area and lies at the south-eastern part of Shandong Province on the coastline of the Yellow Sea. The city is known for its rigid strategy of sustainability and the UN recognized Rizhao City in 2009 as one of the most habitable cities in the world. The city is famed for having installed over a half-million square meters of solar water heating panels in the last few years.

However, now the city also has an architectural attraction. The Beijing based firm HHD_Fun built 19 buildings in five clusters, developed from one prototype, on the beach. Each of the buildings is different and accommodates diverse functions. The Shanhaitian Beach Park stretches for two kilometers along the sea and the building clusters are located at the south and north end.

The key feature of the park is a fifty-year-old black pine forest and the architects had been challenged to minimize the construction impact on the environment. A filigree pedestrian bridge across a canal between city and forest follows a curved form at the south end of the beach. The organic three-dimensional form leads dynamically towards the beach.

Pedestrian bridge

Directly at the edge of the forest, with an open view to the sea, the Lanqiao Clubhouse is fully integrated into the form of the landscape with an organic design. The 1,150 square meter building includes a sauna, a café and an outdoor swimming pool. The café is located at the back, but with a perfect view out to the sea. The pool in front of the clubhouse is shielded from the two arms of the organic overall form. The two side wings contain the saunas, across which the landscape continues. Skylights light this part.

Clubhouse

Three organic pavilions contain public showers and restrooms. An outdoor space between them allows different activities. The landscape runs in a small stripe across the building. Otherwise the skin consists of glass and metal plates. The curved forms lead the huge mass of visitors in the peak season through the facilities in an organic way.

South bathroom

At the north end of the beach, a group of public showers, restrooms and convenient stores follow in a linear way along the forest line. Their organic form is reminiscent of sand dunes, but with their white color and the triangular pattern they generate a technical touch.

North bathroom

Not far from there, the Rizhao Visitor Centre follows as an integral part of the new facilities. The two-storey complex is in a radical organic way three-dimensionally interwoven into the landscape and brings the thematic aspect of parametric design to a final conclusion. The complex includes shops, cinemas, restrooms, restaurants, public showers and public outdoor space in the sunken plaza.

Service center

The steel structure of all buildings was designed to fit the complex forms in parametric design. It was carefully adopted throughout the process to make sure that the local manufacturers and craftsmen can realize the buildings without loss of quality. The decentralized facilities at the beach show that with a variation of related elements, a highly individualized result can give a new meaning to the landscape and make the location a destination for tourists and locals alike.
Eduard Kögel

Fun on the Beach
Rizhao City in Shandong Province

Architect
HHD_FUN
Beijing

Interior
HHD_FUN
Beijing

LDI
HHD & XinChao Design

Civil Engineer
H&J International

Façade Consultant
FUDA

Photographer
Zhenfei Wang
Chenggui Wang