team_bldg's white gauze installation flutters and chimes soft bells in ancient valley in china

team_bldg’s the fan is a multisensorial gateway in china

TEAM_BLDG’s The Fan is a site-specific installation that transforms the ancient valley of Jinshanling in China into a sensory landscape of movement and sound. Positioned along a stone-paved path leading to sculptor Sheng Jiang’s hidden exhibition, Being in the Open Field, the structure is a gateway that enlivens this path with a ritual of light, shadow, and sound.

It introduces a layer of ephemerality the site’s otherwise rigid landscape — framed by Ming Dynasty relics and dramatic cliffs — swaying like Tibetan prayer flags with white gauze dancing with the hums of the mountain winds. As light filters through the translucent fabric, silhouettes of birds and insects animate its surface, while at sunset, the gauze takes on the appearance of fluttering ‘Buddha robes.’ Embedded bells chime softly, echoing Buddhist notions of ‘surprise and joy,’ while T-shaped steel frames mirror the Great Wall ruins nearby.

all images © Jonathan Leijonhufvud

the installation nods to tibetan prayer flags

Inspired by Tibetan prayer flags, the design balances the site’s concrete, steel, and stone sculptures and functions as both a visual and auditory guide. For TEAM_BLDG, the goal was to create a lightweight, wind-responsive structure that shelters visitors while harmonizing with the ancient environment. The Fan comprises 40 T-shaped steel pipe units (3 meters x 2 meters) arranged in a linear sequence, anchored to a terraced concrete foundation. Articulated joints provide structural flexibility, allowing the framework to adapt to the valley’s uneven terrain. Suspended from transverse rods, more than 120 meters of soft white gauze ripple with the wind, introducing an ever-changing visual rhythm. 

Before installation, full-scale prototypes were tested in Shanghai under simulated wind and rain conditions. Initial field trials revealed excessive wind loads caused instability, prompting structural reinforcements to anchoring nodes. On site, despite harsh autumn winds, the team manually assembled the installation in two days, leveraging the T-shaped units’ adaptability to accommodate rocky terrain.

The Fan is a multisensorial gateway that transforms a path into a ritual of light, shadow, and sound

transforming the ancient valley of Jinshanling in China into a sensory landscape of movement and sound

it introduces a layer of ephemerality the site’s otherwise rigid landscape

fluttering installation likes the clothing lines of Buddha statues

as light filters through the translucent fabric, silhouettes of birds and insects animate its surface

the installation faces the remains of the ancient Great Wall

viewed from the architecture’s atrium

leading to sculptor Sheng Jiang’s hidden exhibition, Being in the Open Field

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project info:

name: The Fan
architect: TEAM_BLDG | @team__bldg

location: China

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: ravail khan | designboom