atelier deshaus tops laoyuting pavilion with fragmented modular roof in chinese wetlands

the threshold along the wetland edge

A new project dubbed Laoyuting Pavilion has been completed by Atelier Deshaus and rises among a wetland park in China. Standing on the southern side of the Water-Forest Art Zone, the project served as the entryway to the 2024 Dianchi Art Season before remaining in place as a permanent waypoint for visitors arriving to the wetland.

The pavilion sits among a grove of cypress trees which filter water before it reaches Dianchi Lake, and the area is frequented by residents who come to catch small fish among the reeds. Atelier Deshaus builds the pavilion as a space for pause in this setting, mediating between the movement of people and the slow work of the wetland.

The structure creates an artificial ‘forest’ of slender steel columns that marks the transition from city to waterborne woodland. A fragmented roof hovers above these dense vertical elements, shaping shade and framing slivers of sky. From inside, the staggered columns open two subtle paths that draw visitors toward deeper areas of the park.

images © WangCe

atelier deshaus’ fragmented rooftop

While the Laoyuting Pavilion’s roof appears irregular at close range, its overall silhouette by Atelier Deshaus recalls the four-sloped hipped forms found in traditional Chinese architecture. The team‘s fragmentation of the steel plates shifts the reading of the material, giving them a softened presence and allowing the pavilion to settle into its surroundings with restraint. Light filters through the gaps in shifting patterns, producing a quiet sense of enclosure.

Environmental requirements shaped the project’s assembly. The wetland surface could remain untouched, so the foundation was conceived as a steel plate placed directly on the ground, with each column perched on a ten-centimeter steel block. These small bases act as micro-foundations, lifting the structure above the terrain and signaling an effort to protect the site.

Laoyuting Pavilion stands at the edge of a lake as a permanent threshold to a wetland

the modular logic of the Laoyuting Pavilion

Atelier Deshaus composes its Laoyuting Pavilion as an array of repeated modules that combine six columns with flat or sloped steel plates. As modules overlap, some columns are removed, and loads shift to short, thin elements that rise between roof plates. This produces varying densities of vertical supports and a spatial rhythm that feels carefully calibrated. Ninety-three cantilevered steel columns meet the ground, while an additional network of smaller round bars supports the upper layers of the roof.

These structural decisions give the pavilion a measured lightness. Atelier Deshaus explores the relationship between trees and columns so that the project might echo the earliest forms of shelter through a contemporary lens. This way, the space gives visitors a place to pause within the filtered light of the roof and the ambient sounds of the wetland.

Atelier Deshaus organizes the pavilion as a field of slender steel columns

fragmented roof plates filter daylight and shape a calm, shaded interior

prefabricated components reduce disturbance to the sensitive wetland terrain