yaluntzangpu river terminal

The small boat terminal is located near the small village named Pai Town in the Linzhi area of Tibet Autonomous Region. As the remotest stop along the Yaluntzangpu River, it allows both local people and travelers from outside to transport by water deep into the valley and come to the foot of the Namchabawa Snow Mountain. With a total area of only 430 square meters, the building program is quite basic. It has a few toilets, a waiting lounge, a ticket office and a room for people to stay overnight in case the weather goes too fierce to travel on the river. The programs are covered by a series of ramps rising from the water and winding around several big poplar tree, and ends up suspending over the water. Looking from a distance, the building is completely merged with the riverbank topography and becomes part of the greater landscape. Construction materials are mainly local. All the walls and roofs are made of rocks collected from nearby. Walls are built by Tibetan masonry builders in their own pattern. Window and door frames, ceilings and floors are all made of local timber.

Standardarchitecture is a leading new generation design firm engaged in practices of planning, architecture, landscape, and product design. Based on a wide range of realized buildings and landscapes in the past five years, it has emerged as the most critical and realistic practice among the youngest generation of Chinese architects and designers. Consciously distance themselves from many of the other “typical” young generation architects who are swallowed by a trend of noise making and media feeding, the office remain detached in a time of media frenzy and their focus is consistently positioned on the realization of urban visions and ideas. Although their built works often take exceptionally provocative visual results, the buildings and landscapes are always rooted in the historic and cultural settings with a degree of intellectual debate. Founded by Zhang Ke in 2001, the office now has four principals: Zhang Ke, Zhang Hong, Hou Zhenghua, and Claudia Taborda. Zhang Ke, principal. Master of Architecture 1998, Harvard University, Graduate School of Design. Master of Architecture and Urban Design 1996, Tsinghua University, School of Architecture Bachelor of Architecture 1993, Tsinghua University, School of Architecture. Zhang Hong, principal. Master of Architecture in Urban Design 1999, Tsinghua University, School of Architecture Bachelor of Architecture 1990, Southeast University, Department of Architecture. Hou Zhenghua, principal. Ph.D of Architecture 2003, Tsinghua University, School of Architecture Bachelor of Architecture 1998, Tsinghua University, School of Architecture. Claudia Taborda, principal. Master of Landscape Architecture 1999, Harvard University, Graduate School of Design.
Master in Conservation Studies, Landscape Option 1991, University of York, UK. Bachelor of Landscape Architecture 1990, University of Evora, Portugal.