△ Project appearance © Wang Qing
Project Background
Dongshan Society and Dongpingshan Society are two tranquil ancient villages nestled on Dongping Mountain in Siming District, Xiamen City. Though located at the city’s heart, these villages remain largely preserved in their original state, surrounded by the natural landscape of Dongping Mountain.
The Dongping Mountain renovation project in Xiamen aims to enhance the living environment’s quality while preserving the authentic urban village atmosphere. This unique blend has created a rare “paradise” within Xiamen Island.
△ Project location © AUAD
As a key highlight of the Dongping Mountain renovation, the Half Island Cafe (Building No. 75, Dongshan Society) sits at the pivotal hub of the Ring Road. Developed and operated collaboratively by Xiangyu Real Estate and Xiamen Half Coffee, it seamlessly integrates village space with urban life. The cafe serves as a city landscape living room, offering a peaceful retreat for residents of the urban steel jungle, while reopening access to the natural mountains and forests for public enjoyment.
Before-and-After Comparison
Building 75, once known as “Xiamen Courtyard,” featured rustic wooden boards and thatched roofing characteristic of traditional rural houses. The building combines exhibition and leisure functions: the first floor houses the Dongshan Society Folk Museum, while the second and third floors contain semi-outdoor tea houses set amid a natural environment that harmonizes with the surrounding wilderness.
△ Renovated front facade © AUAD
△ Renovated frontline streets © AUAD
△ Northeast facade before renovation © AUAD
△ Northwest facade before renovation © AUAD
The renovation removed the original wooden decorations, opting for clean lines that highlight the building’s form. Using lightweight steel structures, glass, and wood, the design breathes new life and narrative into the building.
△ Post-renovation view © Wang Qing
Transformation Strategy
The design draws inspiration from the egret, a symbol closely associated with the Xiamen region. The theme “egrets entering the forest and returning to their nests” is intended to evoke a romantic scene where visitors drive to the mountains and enjoy a leisurely holiday.
△ Design concept © AUAD
The building’s roof rises at both ends, resembling the folded wings of a resting white egret, vividly capturing the image of a bird returning to its nest. The subtle effect of the hidden frame glass curtain wall accentuates this dynamic form. A two-story cantilevered canopy, crafted with complex geometric shapes, symbolizes a nest, supported by structures imitating branches. From afar, the building embodies the “bird’s nest in the forest” vision.
The ground floor retains the original blocky character, replacing enclosed walls with transparent glass. Warm yellow paint and foldable wooden doors and windows create a welcoming and intimate atmosphere for the café.
△ Axis side analysis diagram © AUAD
△ Aerial view © Wang Qing
△ Aerial view © Wang Qing
As illustrated in the scene titled “Turning the Peak and Turning the Road, with Pavilion Wings Standing on the Spring,” the refined design of Half Island Cafe balances the rugged mountain atmosphere with the tranquility of wilderness, creating a serene and elegant ambiance infused with profound artistic concept.
△ Interior view © Wang Qing
△ Aerial view post-renovation © Wang Qing
Responding to Nature
In our digital age, urban residents increasingly distance themselves from nature. This project explores how architectural design can use natural aesthetics and elements as inspiration, creating spaces that reconnect people with the natural environment.
Designers drew creative inspiration from the egret, a regional symbol, translating its forms and motifs into architectural features such as doors and windows through techniques like abstraction and variation. This approach responds holistically to the natural context, multicultural influences, and local identity.
The design incorporates bold, flowing curves and lines, integrating the building harmoniously with the surrounding undulating terrain of Dongping Mountain.
△ Building facade along the street © Shan Yu 1/2 Coffee
Landscape Integration
The design dissolves boundaries between the café and the Dongping Mountain landscape, as well as between indoor and outdoor spaces. Creating a corridor on the first floor and a gray canopy on the second, the building incorporates elements of mountains, forests, and rice fields, offering a seamless natural wilderness experience.
The indoor and outdoor landscape arrangement is a standout feature. The second floor and mezzanine outdoor terraces are lushly vegetated, allowing visitors to connect intimately with nature while enjoying privacy and social interaction. Instead of passing through enclosed rooms, guests experience light and breeze in open, dynamic spaces, feeling the seasonal rhythms firsthand.
△ Second-floor terrace © Shan Yu 1/2 Coffee
△ Second-floor terrace © Shan Yu 1/2 Coffee
△ Cantilevered canopy on second floor © AUAD
△ Cantilevered canopy on second floor © AUAD
Spatial Experience
The bright, foldable long windows on the first floor blur the barrier between indoor space and the street landscape. This design enriches the spatial experience and serves as a display along the street, drawing pedestrians closer to the café.
The interior features a restrained palette, highlighting light yellow tones and natural wood finishes. The surrounding greenery complements the interplay of sunlight filtering through, creating an immersive experience where the indoor space feels detached from urban bustle, evoking a tranquil forest atmosphere.
△ Spatial section view © AUAD
△ First-floor interior © AUAD
△ First-floor interior © AUAD
△ Third-floor interior © AUAD
△ Third-floor interior © AUAD
△ Entrance area © Shan Yu 1/2 Coffee
△ Entrance area © Shan Yu 1/2 Coffee
△ Interior local space © Shan Yu 1/2 Coffee
Slow Life in the Mountains and Wilderness
Just as white egrets seek habitats across the vast world, modern urbanites yearn for peaceful refuges within city forests. Surrounded by mountains and wilderness, this “white egret’s nest” offers tranquility amidst the bustling city, an elegant retreat in a busy environment.
The renovation of Building 75 in Dongshan Community, Dongping, Xiamen not only preserves village memories but revitalizes them through nature. This resting place invites citizens to enjoy slow, leisurely moments in the mountains and wilderness. Standing in this “bird’s nest in the forest,” the noise of the city fades, replaced by mountains, forests, and rice paddies. Sipping coffee here, one can sway freely and peacefully, adding a gentle, joyful note to the fast city rhythm.
△ Atmosphere of the space © Shan Yu 1/2 Coffee
△ Atmosphere of the space © Shan Yu 1/2 Coffee
△ Atmosphere of the space © Shan Yu 1/2 Coffee
△ Video Appreciation © Shan Yu 1/2 Coffee
Project Information
Project Year: 2020
Building Area: 366 m²
Architectural Design: Xiamen University Architectural Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd.
Design Team: Liu Jianyuan, Li Zhigang, Huang Zhangqin, You Yufeng, Lian Binye, Zhang Xiaoshan, You Zhimin
Interior Design: Xiamen Dajigu Architectural Design Co., Ltd.
Text Editors: Lin Yuxin, Zhou Baicong
Photographers: Wang Qing, Zhou Baicong, Shan Yu 1/2 Coffee
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