Sky Mountain in Haikou by Sou Fujimoto

The south Chinese city of Haikou wishes to enhance its shoreline with 16 new buildings by noted architects. Sou Fujimoto's ring-shaped pavilion with its undulating roof is the second such project to be completed.

"Pavilions by the Seaside" is the name of the programme with which the capital of the island of Hainan in the South China Sea is currently introducing changes to its stretch of coast. The name is an understatement: rather than small temporary pavilions, permanent buildings are coming about, complete with various cultural offerings that are to benefit both tourists and local residents alike. The line-up of designers includes many of the usual suspects, such as Bjarke Ingels, Winy Maas of MVRDV, Stefano Boeri and Thomas Heatherwick, as well as a number of Chinese architects.

The Cloudscape of Haikou library by MAD Architects kicked off the programme last year, and is now followed by a second new building to be completed: Sou Fujimoto's Sky Mountain with its contoured rooftop landscape. Prominently located on a promontory at the northern end of Haikou Bay, its ring-shaped form echoes the curve of the shoreline.

Undulating rooftop landscape 

Folded like a membrane and sloping up and down, the walkable ring-shaped roof offers views of the city and towards the Chinese mainland. The area inside the ring is modelled into an artificial hilly landscape that features an integrated amphitheatre flanked by a crescent-shaped pond.

At some places the snow-white roof resembles a taut tent membrane. © ACF

Interiors

The pavilion's interior rooms, set below the roof and far back from its edge, are surrounded by all-glass facades and consist of an exhibition gallery with a bookshop, reading area and toilets in the east and a café in the west.