Zhou Yan Contemporary Chinese Art Archive 周彦当代中国艺术档案
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Date
1985
Format
Photograph
Materials
Architecture: bricks and kelp grass
Description
The photo shows a restaurant in Beijing redesigned by BU under the "three lows"— low cost, low material consumption, and low technology. The signboard follows the traditional right-to-left reading order, and it's written in traditional Chinese characters as 居一獨. The restaurant was a Shandong-style seafood restaurant. Drawing inspiration from materials—kelp grass from the owner's hometown, the architect combined kelp grass with the restaurant’s seafood identity. The facade features two triangular forms that create a sharp, angular perspective. The kelp grass placed between them becomes visually emphasized by the traditional roof eaves and old-style door. These elements produce an aesthetic in which modernity and tradition stand in contrast yet remain unified. Overall, the design strongly embodies the principle he sought to demonstrate at the time: “attach to the original structure, do not go against nature, and leave a lingering, thought-provoking aftertaste (source: BU's interview, https://www.archcy.com/interview/designer/c19a2cd65417d6dc).” It also shows the first exploration of modernism. (Angela Tan '28)
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