Daoist Temple at the Great Wall

PROGRAM: Temple Design and Site Planning
CLIENT: Xuan Men Tang (Beijing) Tourism Development Company Ltd.
SIZE: 1000 m2
STATUS: Conceptual Design
LOCATION: Huai Rou, Huang Hua Cheng, Beijing

The site is in a narrow south-facing valley that frames a distant view of the Great Wall at Huang Hua Cheng. The Daoist Temple formerly on this site has long since fallen into ruin; the client wishes to rebuild.

The client wants the building to be both modern, recognizably Daoist and Chinese. He also asked that the design be spiritual, mysterious, and have a sense of surprise. The first two concepts below - one a buried, hidden temple with columns of light and another, a temple with a water-mirror roof - are based more on Daoist thought. The latter two are based more on Chinese traditional architectural design.