Event
OPEN’s Sun Tower topped out on June 21, 2023—the summer solstice day. The 50-meter-tall structure is located by the sea of Yantai, China, and is expected to be open to the public in 2024. This is a building "sculpted" according to the sunlight, facing the majestic sea with a sliced-open structure, paying tribute to time and nature.
The trajectory of the sun throughout the year becomes the precise geometric logic behind this seemingly formless building; the inner and outer white concrete shells are connected by horizontal slabs and ramps, supporting the delicate and complex structure. The round holes on the outer concrete shell are connected to various light tubes, which introduce natural light into the inner space during the day. At night, the round windows reveal warm light from the interior like shining stars. The structure stands quietly by the sea under the vast sky—a lighthouse for time.
On the other hand, this is an iconic structure with mixed cultural programs, including exhibition, library, meditation spaces, outdoor theater and etc., which are entirely open to the city and to everyone. For a fast-developing industrial district, the Sun Tower will provide much-needed cultural life and places for social encounters which are important in building stronger and sustainable communities.
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The initial design brief for this project along the shore of Yantai, the coastal city at the tip of Shandong peninsula, was amazingly simple – the local municipality, a former industrial district now aspires to foster a better living f
