Type: Client Work
Location: Hong Kong, New Territories
Year: 2025
Status: Design Approved
Planning Team: Eike Schling, Haotian Man, Zongshuai Wan
Our gridshell design for the botanical gardens at Somewhere Farm in Hong Kong has received client approval to move forward to construction planning.
The pavilion is conceived as a lightweight, prefabricated structure that embraces a central green courtyard. Two arched entrances open up framed views towards the coast and the partner pavilion below, creating an inviting and spatially dynamic garden experience.
The structure is an equilateral gridshell composed of two layers of GRP rods with pretensioned steel cable bracing, forming a rational yet flexible system. Four pentagonal singularities enable the distinctive funnel shape, offering structural reinforcement. The grid geometry was form-found as an inverted hanging grid, thus following a beneficial catenary shape.
A partial ETFE foil roof provides shelter while maintaining visual transparency. Wind and rain protection are integrated through screens in the viewing arches. This modular, low-tech system allows for efficient assembly, disassembly, and reuse.
Eike Schling 