© Octopus Sees Architecture
“Embrace the eight poles by the cliffs, and keep your eyes as long as possible.” In Li Bai’s poem, Mount Taishan— the highest of the Five Great Mountains—inhales the breath of the world and encapsulates the beauty of all things. Standing before ancient geological layers that have evolved over three billion years, humans feel both immense and minuscule, like a drop in the ocean. How can architecture, as a human habitat, harmoniously integrate into this natural order?
Project Background
Jiunvfeng Paochi is situated in Dongximen Village, Tai’an, Shandong Province. This typical northern mountain village lies amidst the stunning natural surroundings of Mount Taishan. However, due to population decline, the village has gradually fallen into depression. Meanwhile, urban areas continue to expand densely, fueling a construction frenzy. Overcrowding and high stress levels have led city dwellers to yearn for simple, pastoral landscapes—yet these desires remain unmet. Meanwhile, rural areas longing for revival urgently need catalysts to spark new vitality.
△ Mountain view of Dongximen Village © gad · line+ studio
△ Original site condition © gad · line+ studio
Faced with this project, we explored how cities could give back to rural areas. How can spatial design activate and reshape declining villages, create distinctive identities, and stimulate visitation? How can new public spaces meet urban dwellers’ longing for natural countryside? How should architecture engage in dialogue with the pristine beauty of nature? Jiunvfeng Bubble Pool was conceived in response to these challenges.
© Octopus Sees Architecture
Spatial Balance
Designed by Line+, Jiunvfeng Bubble Pool serves as a strategic response to nature and a key revitalization “acupoint” for the entire declining village. This primitive, impoverished village urgently requires renewal alongside the world-class scenery it boasts. The Bubble Pool, situated between these two extremes, balances spatial qualities with its pure, transparent, and fluid form.
© Octopus Sees Architecture
The Jiunvfeng Pool appears as a pure white brushstroke on the village hillside, responding to the surrounding mountains, forests, and magnificent sky. It reflects the natural context of Mount Taishan, evoking imagery of cloud seas and precious shells nestled among stone terraces.
© Octopus Sees Architecture
The site’s location and function were inspired by geography and spatial needs. Upon entering the village, visitors pass guest rooms scattered along the mountain terrain, then ascend a path of raw stones. Nestled among forest vegetation, the pure white soaking pool emerges. The pool’s function draws from human affinity for water and the healthy, energetic lifestyle sought by urbanites, forming a seamless flow connecting mountain guest rooms and study spaces.
The Jiunvfeng Bubble Pool’s program is tailored to rural settlements and mountainous environments, divided into three zones: changing rooms, bathing, and fitness—forming a triad of volumes.
△ First floor plan © gad · line+ studio
© gad · line+ studio
On the west side, a semi-outdoor sea bath features a column-free, unobstructed space to maintain flow and transparency. The pure white roof rises gracefully from the ground, cantilevering 10 meters toward the deep mountains. This shelters the pool below while allowing bathers to fully enjoy the surrounding natural landscape.
The east side houses the indoor facilities with a curled, introverted design, including reception, changing rooms, bathing areas, and a small sauna.
© Octopus Sees Architecture
Facing south is the gym, oriented toward the village and mountain base. Its sharp, shell-like form marks the entrance, aligning with the village’s natural north-south layout.
© Octopus Sees Architecture
The changing and bathing areas connect through a curved form reminiscent of flowing clouds and water, oriented northeast toward steep ridges and mountains. This captures stunning views while ensuring privacy. From afar, Jiunvfeng Pool resembles a precious shell resting amid Mount Taishan’s cloud sea. The three enclosed volumes emerge naturally, integrating with the original landscape and mountain context, achieving a harmonious balance between nature and village.
△ Model photo © Sun Lei
Reducing Visual Scale
The soaking pool aims to diminish the perceived architectural mass within the vast mountain landscape.
© Octopus Sees Architecture
The building’s white, irregular curved surfaces create open, free-flowing spaces complemented by expansive transparent facades. By restoring the surrounding mountain landscape, the boundaries between inside and outside blur.
Inside, the space offers a sense of intimacy and solitude, protected under a cantilevered curved roof that provides security and comfort. Externally, the architecture humbly recedes before nature, expressing a subordinate relationship through its subtle form.
© Octopus Sees Architecture
The three zones—fitness, changing, and sea bathing—feature distinct facade treatments reflecting their functions, interpreting design transparency through three concepts: “virtual,” “real,” and “absent.”
“Virtual”
The gym faces south, with hidden columns supporting glass walls that act as partitions. This “virtual” facade captures village views, floods the interior with natural light, and meets insulation and heat preservation requirements for the fitness area.
© Octopus Sees Architecture
“Real”
The bubble pool’s changing area demands ultimate privacy. It features an exterior clad in highly reflective metal mirror panels. The surrounding outdoor scenery is mirrored on the facade, making the building seemingly vanish into nature while maintaining a true and private interior—an inverse expression of ultimate transparency.
© Octopus Sees Architecture
“Absent”
The sea bathing area is an open cantilevered space without columns or walls, directly facing the mountains and forests to achieve an immersive, zero-distance connection with nature. The cantilevered roof defines the pool’s functional area. Within this sea bathing zone, the pure white curved roof mirrors the distant mountain contours, framing the natural landscape within the pool.
© Octopus Sees Architecture
© Octopus Sees Architecture
Construction Simplification
To achieve the appearance of the pool emerging smoothly from flat ground with flowing forms, the construction process carefully balances building structure, landscape, and interior elements, simplifying materials and structure wherever possible.
△ Profile model © Sun Lei
Framework
The roof of the suspended 10-meter bubble pool uses factory-prefabricated curved steel keels, providing a technical foundation for its free-flowing, smooth shape. Precisely modeled and calculated horizontal and vertical keels are assembled in the air and anchored to the foundation, ensuring structural reliability and ease of installation.
△ Curved steel keel structure © gad · line+ studio
© gad · line+ studio
Exterior Skin
Once the steel keel framework was completed, it was covered with insulation and clad in a highly plastic, tough, and mechanically strong stainless steel skin. Through precise surface joints and meticulous polishing, the skin achieves a smooth, seamless finish that enables the free, fluid form.
© gad · line+ studio
Finishing Touches
The consistent metallic texture of white spray paint inside and out ensures the building’s cohesive aesthetic. Paired with expansive floor-to-ceiling and highly reflective glass, the design achieves a pure, transparent visual effect.
© gad · line+ studio
Conclusion
Far from the hustle and bustle of city life and its relentless pace, Jiunvfeng Pool offers a secluded mountain retreat where visitors can jog, bathe, meditate, reconnect with nature, and commune with distant peaks. Nestled on the mountainside at Mount Taishan’s western foothill, the pool grows organically in form, driven by function. It aims to activate and renew Dongximen Village, fostering a harmonious relationship between nature and community. Like its flowing shape, Jiunvfeng Pool will continue to grow freely, maintain order, and invigorate the region.
Project Information
Project Name: Mount Taishan Jiunvfeng Pool and Supporting Facilities
Location: Daiyue District, Tai’an City, Shandong Province
Design Firm: Gad · Line+ Studio (Architecture, Interior, Landscape)
Lead Architect / Project Creator: Meng Fanhao
Design Team: Meng Fanhao, Zhu Min, Zhang Erjia, Xu Hao, Zhu Jun, Jin Xin, Li Shangyang, Deng Hao, Hu Jinwei, Zhou Xinyi, Jin Jianbo, Chi Xiaomei
Building Area: 280.26 square meters
Design Period: February 2019 – May 2019
Construction Period: September 2019 – June 2020
Owner: Lushang Pusu (Tai’an) Cultural Tourism Development Co., Ltd.
Structural Coordination and Construction: Hangzhou Zhongpu Construction Technology Co., Ltd.
Structure Type: Steel Structure
Materials: Steel, White Spray Coating, Mirror Stainless Steel
Photography: Octopus Jian Zhu, Sun Lei
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