A Pearl on the Grass

7. January 2022

Photo courtesy of Parallect Design

Parallect Design's LIM Café at Suzhou Bay Sports Park in Suzhou, China, has traditional gabled forms that recall the wooden structure originally in its location and modern mirrored glass facades that reflect its setting on the edge of Taihu Lake.

With full-height mirrored glass from the grass up to the roof, the building recalls such art installations as Two Islands' Mark's House (2013) and Doug Aitken's Mirage (2017). (Photo courtesy of Parallect Design)

The reflective building, sitting among trees and grass, is just steps from the lake. (Photo courtesy of Parallect Design)

After the sun sets, when the lights inside the building are on, the interior functions are revealed. (Photo courtesy of Parallect Design)

One such space is the lobby, where a wavy ceiling contrasts with the traditional gable shape. (Photo courtesy of Parallect Design)

According to Parallect Design, the wavy ceiling in the lobby "[reflects] the sky and clouds outside the window" to "[create] a picture-in-picture." (Photo courtesy of Parallect Design)

A spiral stair adjacent to the "Art Bar Area" leads to a flexible space upstairs. (Photo courtesy of Parallect Design)

That flexible space sits below the highest of the building's gables, with the form accentuated by lines of lights on the walls and ceiling. (Photo courtesy of Parallect Design)

A building section shows the lobby and its wavy ceiling on the left, the spiral stair in the middle and, above it, the second-floor multi-purpose space. (Drawing courtesy of Parallect Design)

An exploded axon illustrates the plan of the building but also shows the extent of the mirrored glass facades, which are accompanied by opaque facades facing bottom-right. (Drawing courtesy of Parallect Design)