Yantai, Shandong Province, China

Designed after a long research and analysis of the Earth’s orbit around the sun and the changing of the Sun’s path, Open Architecture’s Sun Tower is a massive, concrete, conical structure featuring circular openings that work as windows funneling the sunlight into the building.

The building’s form is shaped by the sunlight — a large curvilinear structure magically sliced open by the trajectory of sunlight at a chosen time, revealing its internals to the majestic sea.

At four important times of the year, the movements of the sun and the shadow are captured and marked by the building.

Sunrises on the sea and sunsets over the city at certain times of the year will be framed by the building for breathtaking views.

It is a place for people to experience natural phenomena in a different light, to contemplate the meaning of time, and the mystery of our universe.

Composed of three major functional parts: a semi-outdoor theater at the base that is also perfect for observing sunrise over the sea; a winding exhibition space with ocean lookouts in the middle; a library and a phenomena space on the top, the building is at once a nature observation tower and a cultural destination.

The building is a composite shell structure, two layers of slanted white concrete shells are connected and braced by horizontal slabs and ramps.

Facing the ocean, the concave inner shell of the Sun Tower acts as a sound collector, absorbing and amplifying the sounds from the sea.

The smaller upside-down upper shell houses the light-filled library and the “phenomena space” with a breathtaking view of the ocean and the sky above.

An oculus in the center of the phenomena space’s ceiling allows rainwater to enter and fill a small pool underneath in the summer. In the winter, the pool will be dry and used as a fireplace.

An upward zigzagging series of linear spaces in-between the inner and outer layers are where people hike up the tower, which also double functions as digital exhibition spaces.

Traversing through the tower is a journey through multimedia exhibitions with views of the ocean at each turning point.

At the base of the tower, in the plaza also designed by OPEN Architecture, a shallow pool completes the circular shape and features misting devices and spouting fountains.

A specially designed water channel cuts across the plaza—a ruler of time—this is the straight line that the shadow of the Sun Tower will follow on the day of the equinox.

A series of elliptical rings are set in the pavement pattern; the intersections between the rings and the water channel mark the building shadow’s footprint at specific hours on the equinox day.

At one of the outer rings, a series of fountains were designed to celebrate the 24 Solar Terms of the Traditional Chinese Calendar; on normal days they are synced with high and low tides.

These carefully planned water features add to the sense of liveliness, while also reflecting upon the city’s long history of oceanic culture which is rare in China.

Sitting on the steps under the parabolic shell, gaze into the distant ocean framed by the dramatic arch while the sounds of nature’s breathing echo gently throughout, one’s mind will gradually clear up.

The structure of the building is almost complete and it is expected to be open to the public in 2024.

Project: Sun Tower
Architects: OPEN Architecture
Lead Architect: Hu Li and Wenjing Huang
Client: Yantai Yeda Industrial Co., Ltd
Photographs and Renderings : Courtesy of OPEN Architecture