Heytea, Hangzhou – China

Taking tea garden as space prototype, here tea mountain, tea fields, seats, bakery contrast finely with tea culture by its spatial logic and modeling language.Hangzhou is a tea production city, where tea also integrates into local civic life. People rest and drink tea in tea shops by tea fields. In this city, tea gardens and tea houses connect closely and interdependently, while the former produce tea and the latter provide space to taste. Drinking tea in tea fields is the most relaxing and primitive way of tea tasting. After a series of exploration on Hangzhou tea culture, Zen of tea garden is defined as the space theme.Inspired from the formations of tea plantations that sit between the mountains and rivers, the geometric arrangement of tea fields are used to construct the space. Three flows defined by programs, bakery, beverages and delivery, run respectively along the guiding devices,directing from entry to the bakery queue, beverage ordering or pick up. The tea field texture ends up with a sloping tea mountain. The staggered steps between the fields are available for rest. Two sets of handrails rise gently along the steps and point to the mirror doorway on top of the mountain, which leaves an imagery of infinity.Tea drinking here at Heytea Garden is defined as an relaxing and inspiring experience. For a mountain seat one could choose from the terrazzo steps or the Tea-tree-looking soft seatings. Creative ways to use the seating space is encouraged. Tea mountain has its extension encored inside the shopping mall, as a shop window for tea production display. The window glass is tilted to leave out parts of the mountain, inviting people for participation and resting. Outdoor seats in tea fields are also designed for flexible use. Low planters and high leaning installations act as Tea Tree bushes, both quickly classify flows of people to achieve highly efficient dynamics yet in a cozy way.