Sanya, Hainan Island, China
“The design of Farm Lab aims to integrate the elements of climate and ecological technology of the site for green, sustainable, and multifunctional usage,” explained CLOU Architects.
Designed by CLOU architects, Sanya Farm Lab is a new 4000 sqm, four-story exhibition space, located in Nanfan High Tech District of Sanya, the southernmost city on tropical Hainan Island.
The Nanfan District is a hub of scientific research in tropical agriculture that explores issues relating to climate change, land and water scarcity, food production, and tourism.
The Sanya Farm Lab facility provides a space to demonstrate ecological research in action, highlighting both the educational and lifestyle aspects of agricultural science.
The design focus of the project is to combine the climate characteristics of Sanya, integrate the regional scientific and technological agricultural elements, and create a multi-functional research compound and commercial display space.
The architects referenced traditional straw-roofed houses when designing the gridded wooden canopy that tops this agricultural education center on Hainan Island.
Alongside spaces for hosting exhibitions and events, the community center contains areas that can adapt to accommodate farm-to-table dining experiences, as well as co-working offices for researchers and start-up companies.
The four-story Sanya Farm Lab’s architectural form comprises stacked glass boxes of various sizes that are connected visually by a large atrium.
The main circulation is provided by a spiral staircase positioned in one corner.
This open-air stair promotes access to outdoor spaces, while large landings on each level provide places for chance encounters as people move around the building.
“The focus of the design is to blur the boundaries between indoor and outdoor,” CLOU architects state, “to maximize the opportunities for researchers and visitors to communicate and interact inside and outside the building space.”
The exhibition center’s first floor cantilevers outwards to shelter a semi-outdoor public space around the periphery, while several open-air terraces are incorporated on the upper levels.
The various indoor spaces, outdoor platforms, and voids are enclosed within a grid beam canopy that references the overhanging straws roofs of houses traditionally built by Hainan’s Li community.
The 80-centimeter depth of the timber grid prevents direct sunlight from reaching the interior while enabling natural ventilation and views out from inside.
An entrance in the Sanya Farm Lab’s northern facade leads into a lobby area housing an organic indoor farm.
This educational space is surrounded by a reception area, bar, restaurant and marketplace towards the front of the facility.
On the second floor, the staircase leads to a large terrace enclosed within the grid structure.
Project: Sanya Farm Lab
Architects: CLOU architects
Client: Jinmao Sanya Nanfan Rongmao Real Estate Co., Ltd.
