Dawn Breeze Pavilion Proposed Design

for Tianjin Water Park

1985Joe Carter

天津水上公园

天津水上公园

Dawn Breeze Pavilion Proposed Design

for Tianjin Water Park

1985Joe Carter

The bird stood at the edge of the ocean sniffing the breeze, gazing at the sea.It started to fly and lifted itself into the air.It tried to fly high, even up to the sun. Smoke started curling under its feathers and the heat became unbearable.He turned back and dove into the sea. Bubbles streamed from under his wings as he swooped in a large arc past deep undersea creatures. Unable to breath, he curved up to the surface.

This time, in the air, he let a breeze lift him. He glided upwardwithout moving his wings…….Higher and higher until he had a good view of the sun, now just over the horizon.

He was moving away toward the sun, but his body enlarged. It rotated to align with the horizon, with one wing covering the skyand another covering the sea. Larger and larger he grew, and moreand more transparent; the feathers of his upper wing became the rays of the sun and the feathers of his lower wing became the wavesof the sea. His body grew very long and thin until it became the lineof the horizon. Finally, there was no more bird.

My Bird Dream (inspiration for the design of the Dawn Breeze Pavilion)

一只鸟沐浴着微风凝视大海。她在寻找着什么。她朝太阳飞去，但灼热的空气烤炙着她的羽毛。她又向大海深处俯冲，遇到波涛之下的万物，但它无法呼吸。她没有放弃。这一次，微风托起她，升高再升高，她离太阳很近了。在与地平线重叠的一刻，鸟儿的身体开始变大越来越大，同时翻转过来：一翼指向天空，一翼埋入大海。渐渐地，鸟儿的身体变得透明，天空中的羽翼化作万缕金光融入太阳，水中的羽翼化作浪花融入海洋，她的身体则伸长再伸长，化作地平线。鸟儿消融了。

我的梦：化做天地的鸟My Bird Dream (inspiration for the design of the Dawn Breeze Pavilion)

天津水上公园

天津水上公园

Dawn Breeze Pavilion

DESCRIPTION OF DESIGN

Looking at the island from the shore, or even closer in a boat, the pavilion is not visible. Trees obscure it almost completely.

At the east of the island, two Chinese stone lanterns identify a place where a boat can pull ashore. From there a wooded path wanders along the north side of the island, then curves east.

A small Entrance Pavilion comes into view. It leads to a wooden corridor, wide enough for two people. It winds over water pools making footstep sounds that echo from a wall that obscures the main garden. This long wall has a few openings that give glimpses of what is to come.

After passing through the wall, the main space is visible. This main space has a major east-west axis, and a minor north-south axis. One can linger at the East Pavilion to absorb the view. The covered path continues through the rectangular pavilion on the south and ends with a gate facing a large stone box, like a big chair, or perhaps a coffin.

Here we leave our mental burdens, and walk on an uncovered stone path, now only wide enough for one person. A narrow stone bridge leads to an Island Pavilion. Here you sit alone, facing east.

Now you can see two cypress trees on a bluff behind and above the East Pavilion. Between them at the Equinoxes, the sun rises.

When it is time to leave you can go back the way you came or you can pass through a hole in the stone that leads back to the Entrance Pavilion.

天津水上公园

Dawn Breeze Pavilion Location: Tianjin Water Park

Dawn Breeze Pavilion

Joe Carter, at right, with Tianjin School of Architecture Teachers, 1986