studio RE+N’s floating pavilion hovers like a thin white wing above chinese tea mountain

the pavilion’s stepped platforms descend the slope in parallel with the tea terraces.

Yuting Zhang edited by christina vergopoulou March 20, 2026 5 min

a curved canopy tops the Floating white Pavilion in Songyang

Studio RE+N introduces an open-air steel pavilion at the summit of a terraced tea mountain in Songyang County, Zhejiang Province, China. Positioned approximately 500 meters above sea level, the 85-square-meter structure operates as both a viewing platform and a rest point within an active agricultural landscape. Located within the Organic Tea Valley of Xinxing Town, the project engages with an environment shaped by tea cultivation and previously accessible only through narrow picking paths.

The design adopts a minimal intervention strategy, placing a lightweight structure on slender supports to reduce impact on the terrain. The pavilion’s curved roof follows the contours of the hillside, establishing a formal relationship with the surrounding topography. A path of granite steps extends existing tea-picking routes, creating a continuous circulation path that connects the pavilion to the terraces below. The structure appears intermittently along this ascent, reinforcing its integration with the landscape.

The spatial sequence is defined through a controlled transition from enclosure to openness. At the entrance, the roof edge limits outward views, creating a compressed condition. As movement continues downward along stepped platforms, visibility gradually expands. At the lowest point, the lifting of the roof reveals a wide view across the tea valley. This progression is achieved through the alignment of the roof geometry with the slope of the site.

studio RE+N's floating pavilion hovers like a thin white wing above chinese tea mountain - 1 — the Floating Pavilion hovers above the tea terraces with the village beyond | all images by Kejia Mei

lightweight steel structure supports the pavilion by Studio RE+N

The design team at Studio RE+N employs prefabricated steel components for the structural system. The roof utilizes a composite assembly consisting of a steel grid sandwiched between upper and lower plates, forming a tapered profile that integrates structural performance with drainage and visual continuity. Platforms extend from a transverse beam using wedge-shaped stiffeners, while semicircular openings at column connections allow light to reach the surface below. Tension cables between columns function as safety barriers without obstructing views.

Due to the steep terrain and limited access, all elements were prefabricated off-site and transported using carts and cable systems along existing agricultural paths. Lighting is integrated at the base of the columns, projecting upward onto the underside of the roof to create diffuse illumination during evening hours.

Since its completion, the pavilion has been incorporated into both visitor circulation and agricultural use. The path leading to the structure supports movement through the terraces while also improving access for tea farmers during harvest periods.

studio RE+N's floating pavilion hovers like a thin white wing above chinese tea mountain - 2 — the pavilion appears to float above the terraced tea fields, its curved steel roof echoing the hillside contour

studio RE+N's floating pavilion hovers like a thin white wing above chinese tea mountain - 3 — the stepped platforms descend the slope in parallel with the tea terraces

studio RE+N's floating pavilion hovers like a thin white wing above chinese tea mountain - 4 — tea farmers tend the terraces beneath the pavilion, whose stepped platforms have become part of the setting

studio RE+N's floating pavilion hovers like a thin white wing above chinese tea mountain - 5 — the blade-like steel roof catches the last light of day, with the village and valley stretching into the distance

studio-re-n-floating-white-steel-pavilion-china-tea-mountain-designboom-1800-2 — serving as a viewing platform the pavilion overlooks the tea mountain slopes

studio RE+N's floating pavilion hovers like a thin white wing above chinese tea mountain - 6 — the cantilevered deck and stepped platforms descend beneath the curved roof

studio-re-n-floating-white-steel-pavilion-china-tea-mountain-designboom-1800-3 — two visitors stand at different levels of the lowest platform, gazing across the full mountain valley panorama

studio RE+N's floating pavilion hovers like a thin white wing above chinese tea mountain - 7 — the roof is supported by a single transverse beam and wedge-shaped steel stiffeners

studio RE+N's floating pavilion hovers like a thin white wing above chinese tea mountain - 8 — at the lowest level, the roof lifts and the full tea valley panorama is revealed

studio RE+N's floating pavilion hovers like a thin white wing above chinese tea mountain - 9 — at sunrise, golden light floods through the columns of the pavilion

studio-re-n-floating-white-steel-pavilion-china-tea-mountain-designboom-1800-4 — the full mountain valley panorama is framed by slender columns

studio RE+N's floating pavilion hovers like a thin white wing above chinese tea mountain - 10 — custom cylindrical luminaires project light upward along the curved roof soffit, making the pavilion glow

studio RE+N's floating pavilion hovers like a thin white wing above chinese tea mountain - 11 — at dusk, the curved roof soffit glows from below against the blue mountain silhouette

studio RE+N's floating pavilion hovers like a thin white wing above chinese tea mountain - 12 — the pavilion’s curved roof, with its upturned edges, glows like a lantern on the dark hillside

project info:

name: Floating Pavilion

architect: Studio RE+N | @studio_re_n

location: Organic Tea Valley, Xinxing Town, Songyang County, Zhejiang, China

area: 85 sqm

lead architects: Yuting Zhang, Pu Zhang

design team: Jianwu Han, Meng Zhang

client: Xinxing Town Government

structural engineer: Lihui Feng

construction coordinator: Xiangdi Ji

contractors: Hangzhou Baiguyuan Construction Co., Ltd. & Zhejiang Huafang Construction Co., Ltd.

photographer: Kejia Mei

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