tea club

harvard graduate school of design : core ii
critic : jeffry burchard
spring 2016



A structural bay capable of producing a variety of rooms in terms of size, proportion, and qualitative attributes was designed and deployed in order to create a larger structure: the club.

This club is designed for the purpose of processing and consuming fresh tea. The building functions as one continuous ramp where tea leaves are collected, withered, fixed, oxidized, rolled, dried, and packaged along this ramp.

The building purposefully shuts out and ignores its context. This club is designed to be a moment of peace. The building has no sharp corners; it appears to softly sit on the ground. Made of thin marble, the interior of the club glows throughout the day. Although windowless, additional light is allowed to enter through oculi located at every edge. A tea room is hidden from the ramp sequence and is connected to a courtyard that extends the height of the building.