Tingxi Restaurant

Ting Xi Bamboo Restaurant is situated in a suburban area, surrounded by a lush forest near the center of Xiamen – a beautiful coastal city in China. The functional requirements primarily consist of a restaurant and a café lounge with 200 seats. In addition to this, the internal space is designed to be a flexible space that can host many different types of events.

Bamboo is the green material of the 21st century due to its excellent CO2 absorbability and rapid growing ability, as well as its characteristic mechanical strength and extreme light weight, which is competitive with other structural materials.
The spatial structure is quite simple and consists of two main components: the first being a bamboo building and the second being a back of house. The bamboo building contains 14 columns with an 8m span between them and is 14m in length the edge of the eaves on one side to the other. The back of house contains the service functions such as WC, kitchen, staff room and storage. All of these programs are contained within a shallow pond that surrounds the building.
The fourteen columns give form to the bamboo building as they dynamically fan out in four directions their base and as a result become impressively thick, forming a void inside.
Since the interior space is required to be air-conditioned, a major challenge was keeping the inherently permeable bamboo structure airtight. The architects solved this by installing arch-shaped glass panels between the columns and the walls. Also, partition walls composed of bamboo layers, rubber sheets, and a thatch finishing were placed within the columns to make them airtight as well.
The gabled roof, which has a maximum height of 6.4m, allows natural light to permeate inside and provides a pleasant atmosphere to this dynamic room. The gently curved interior form lets people experience the layered frame structures, which further the user perception of the depth of the space.
The service area, located adjacent to the bamboo building, is compactly designed so that it sits below bamboo building’s eaves yet still meets the minimum functional requirements in plan.

The bamboo has been treated with a traditional, Vietnamese method in order to naturally reach the high quality and long-term durability that the project demands. This type of treatment can last 30 to up to 50 years. This natural treatment also contributes to the architects sustainable design approach of the project. By using bricks vernacular bricks of the region, the new building will integrate itself well within its context and harmonize with its surroundings.