Chinese studio Trace Architecture Office has completed Tide’s Echo Hall, an events and dining space housed within a series of minimalist structures on the coast of Shandong Province.

Described by the studio as a “multifunctional cultural and tourism hub”, the project comprises three pavilion-like structures containing a conference and exhibitions centre, a restaurant and a food court along an existing coastal promenade in Sanggou Bay.

Beijing-based Trace Architecture Office (TAO) looked to give each structure a different relationship to the site, which is located on a beach between dense black pine forest to the west and the Yellow Sea to the east.

Architecture Office has completed a coastal events space in Shandong Province

“The duality of the natural environment – the vastness of the ocean and the serenity of the woods – provides a rich source of inspiration for the architectural design,” explained TAO.

“As visitors navigate through the spaces, the boundaries between interiors and exterior are continually redefined, creating a dynamic and layered spatial journey that responds to both the natural and built environment,” it added.

At the centre of the complex is Tide’s Echo Hall itself – the largest of the three structures. It contains a circular hall to the south, a small auditorium to the north and a multi-purpose events space to the east.

The complex comprises three pavilion-like structures

These three spaces are conceived as separate volumes but housed within a crisp, white-painted concrete volume and united by a canopy-like roof.

They are linked by large atria and curving walkways that lead to a cafe and a paved viewing platform looking out to the sea.

The food court is crowned with a zigzagging roof

“To mediate between the roof’s monumental scale and human dimensions, the design adopts a strategy of breaking down the whole into smaller parts – much like a cluster of coastal rocks,” explained the studio.

“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,” it added.

The large roof of the building extends outwards to shelter paved walkways at its edges, where a small staircase provides direct access up onto the viewing platform.

Alongside Tide’s Echo Hall is a standalone restaurant building, which responds to its position further inland with an “intimate and tranquil” courtyard layout, overlooking a planted central garden through full-height glazing.

Three event spaces are held in the main building

Separated from these two structures by a concrete plaza is the food court, which is housed within a narrow, 170-metre-long structure topped by a zigzagging roof lined internally with timber.

Two spaces wrapped by glass curtain walls occupy either end of the food court, while at its centre, a large space provides an area for market stalls that is open to the sea.

“This configuration creates an open and transparent viewing interface, offering the public a direct and immersive experience with the sea, sky and forest,” explained TAO.

White-painted concrete is used throughout

TAO was founded in Beijing in 2009 by Hua Li.

Previous projects by the studio include the renovation of a centuries-old building in Yunnan to create a space for bookstore chain Librairie Avant-Garde and an exhibition space in Shenzhen wrapped in a veil of metal mesh.

The photography is by Aogvision unless otherwise stated.

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