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Designed by award-winning studio OPEN Architecture, Sun Tower is a striking new cultural venue in the Yeda Development Zone in Yantai, China. Encompassing an outdoor theatre, exhibition spaces, a library, a café, a bar, and a special Phenomena Space, the cone-like structure is located on the coast of the Yellow Sea and features a design informed by the passage of the sun.
The Yeda Development Zone was established in 1984 and has transformed the area into a thriving district of industry and tourism. The arrival of the Sun Tower now provides a much-needed cultural hub for the growing population and tourism, fostering community engagement and also raising awareness for environmental causes.
OPEN Architecture has conceived the design as a celebration of the area’s connection to the sun and sea. Grounded in local history—one of the earliest regions in China where ancient sun-worshipping took place and later, where Ming Dynasty-era watchtowers were erected—the design provides a contemporary take on the architectural typology of lighthouses, or rather a fusion of lighthouse, cultural center, community hub, and sundial, paying tribute to nature and the passing of time.
The curving volume features large openings on one side, with its viewing platforms and ground floor theatre exposed to the seafront. Standing at 50-metres tall, the building has been constructed from two layers of slanted concrete shells, connected and braced by horizontal slabs and ramps
OPEN Architecture has translated the world’s invisible energies of air, light, sound, and planetary orbits into a physical architectural expression, creating an experimental yet flexible building. Now serving a multitude of cultural and community programming, and acting as a beacon for a rapidly growing city, Sun Tower connects visceral experiences and the formless forces of nature.