Designed by: @gnarchitects_official
Captured by: @tianfangfang2019 x Liang Wenjun
After decades of migration to the cities, fewer than one hundred elderly residents now live permanently on Chaishan Island. As part of Zhoushan’s “Hello, Islands” Common Prosperity Initiative, the island was selected as a second-phase demonstration site, with more than ten projects planned to introduce art, design, fashion and public programmes. Conceived as the competition’s winning proposal, the Seaside Pavilion marks the beginning of this transformation, aiming to bring a sense of romance to everyday island life while reflecting a spirit of poetic realism.
Positioned at the island’s arrival point, the pavilion acts as a symbolic landmark between the ferry terminal and the village. Following several site visits, the project was placed on an abandoned cargo pier dating back to the 1960s, surrounded by rugged rocks with the sea and mountains forming its backdrop. While the original proposal envisioned a tide-powered mechanism, the design was later adapted to a wind-driven system, allowing visitors to experience the movement of the structure more directly.
The installation consists of 36 slender blades, each seven metres long and arranged in groups of three, suspended from a lightweight structural frame. Set in motion by the sea breeze, they sway gently, echoing the rhythm of the waves and creating a constantly changing landscape. Their balance was calibrated using counterweights, while the range of movement was determined through dynamic simulations in Grasshopper.
The former pier has also been restored with a repaired walkway and new railings, turning it into a place where fishermen, local residents and visitors gather. Elderly islanders often sit beneath the moving blades, watching ferries slowly approach before the brief activity of arriving passengers fades back into silence. Prefabricated off site, the pavilion was transported to Zhoushan by truck before being shipped to the island aboard a 300-ton cargo vessel, with all construction materials and equipment delivered by sea.