Nestled on the north coast of China’s island province Hainan, Haikou is known for its tropical climate and towering coconut trees. The port city overlooks the South China Sea, and boasts idyllic beaches perfect for swimming, kayaking, and sunbathing. Haikou’s close relationship with water inspired Hong Kong-based architecture firm One Plus Partnership throughout its new commercial project.
The Gaoxingli Insun Cinema-Coffee Bar brilliantly embodies the island’s surrounding ocean. Bricks cascade across the building’s ceilings and floors, and serve as lighting fixtures, seating areas, and bar counters. Each arch recalls the graceful curvature of rolling waves, creating a seamless atmosphere in constant movement.
As a single-material design, the Cinema-Coffee Bar cleverly transforms brick from a traditionally rigid to a fluid form. This structural decision emphasizes the material’s warm, earthy color, one that beautifully captures soft light. By specifically focusing on brick, One Plus Partnership not only reimagines a timeless material but adds yet another layer to the bar’s ocean motif.
“We decided to use bricks for the theme of our design because [they are] made of sand which [lies] on the beach,” the architecture firm explains.
Bricks assume two contrasting yet harmonious roles in Gaoxingli Insun Cinema-Coffee Bar. In their fluidity, they remind guests of the ebb and flow of the nearby ocean. In their composition and color, they epitomize Haikou’s golden beaches.
“We precisely placed bricks to look like waves,” the firm continues. “You can see the resemblance of the South China Sea that wraps around the island like a warm blanket.”
One Plus Partnership specializes in distinct thematic spaces that play with and remix pre-existing expectations. The Gaoxingli Insun Cinema-Coffee Bar is no exception, and encourages a new relationship between brick and water.
To explore more exciting projects by One Plus Partnership, visit their website.
The Gaoxingli Insun Cinema-Coffee Bar by Hong Kong-based architecture firm One Plus Partnership derives inspiration from the ocean.
Located in Haikou, the capital of China’s island province Hainan, the Cinema-Coffee Bar celebrates the port city’s close relationship to water.
The Cinema-Coffee Bar is a single-material design that uses bricks to recall rolling waves.
In this design, bricks transform into a fluid material in constant movement, cascading across the Cinema-Coffee Bar’s ceilings and floors.
The Gaoxingli Insun Cinema-Coffee Bar by One Plus Partnership encourages a new relationship between bricks and the ocean.
