Inspired by the metasequoia forest onsite, forms of the trees are abstracted and translated into a purely geometric architectural language, a pyramidal frustum, as a modular study of the design. Three different scales of modules mix and cluster together tracing a new forest profile within the nature as a design strategy to simulate the natural substances’ generative process. The restaurant canopy is composed of 18 towery frusta in different scale and the overall control is within the height limit of 12m. Each roof module is topped by a skylight that allows natural light to enter the architecture in a more moderate manner. The roof system is divided into three layers: the outer layer is covered by customized perforated aluminum panels texturing as the layering crowns of metasequoia; the middle layer is covered by glass to introduce greater luminosity; the inner layer is covered by grilled wood panels.

Only 6 canopy modules cover up the entire 100㎡ restaurant interior space and the rest 12 modules cover the surrounding grey space to create a continuous water edge terrace. Canopy’s eaves are lowered to 2.7m to frame a horizontal scroll of wetland scenery into the extended imagination of a traditional Chinese painting. Air vents being disposed on the floor alongside the windows minimize visual distraction.

Multiple design strategies are adopted to maximize the transparency of space between roof and ground base, to erase the indoor and outdoor boundaries: such as consistent flooring material selection for indoor restaurant space and outdoor under-eave terrace, which allows the sense of space extends from inside to outside connecting with the peripheral infinity waterscape to create a coherence from the architecture to the natural wetland; customized floor-to-ceiling windows of more than 2m wide with narrow window frames to enhance a great openness; the design of columns also adopts same minimization strategy; under the load-bearing requirements of the nearly 10m high canopy, only 11 steel columns with a diameter of 15cm are set along the outer edge of the terrace, while 10 groups of columns are arranged inside the glass framed restaurant, consisting of 3 steel columns with a diameter of 10cm respectively, each group of columns aligns with a corresponding edge of the wooden ceiling components and window frames, united in color, so as to minimize the interference of vertical lines into the generous view on three sides of the hall.

Kitchen, private room, tea room, bathroom and BOH space are attached at the eastern side of the building, covered in rough stone walls interfacing with the natural context through materials.