Stage of Forest: Ski Resort Lookout by Meta-Project

“Stage of Forest” is a lookout and public space situated on a hillside between a forest and the ski slope at the Songhua Lake Resort of Jilin, China. Beijing-based firm Meta-Project was responsible for the project.

“The site is surrounded by luscious greenery in summer and covered by an overwhelming white snow in winter. As is a delicate site for a ‘Land(scape) Mark’, one whose indefinite programming demands a careful degree of deliberation. The location and triangle shape of the ‘stage’ was only determined after precise examination and deduction of the site condition, to minimize the impact for the existing vegetation and to maximize the view on the platform. While sitting on the hill, it is facing the Songhua lake at a distance, who is famous for the rime in its surrounding areas.

The building combined rough materiality with its sensuous form. Seen from afar, the ‘stage’ is a dark, free-floating monolith in the landscape, with a heavy concrete ‘base’. Come closer, the reflection on the charred cedar shingles (Shou-Sugi-Ban) becomes faintly perceptible – even turns silvery with the changing angle of sunlight. After one meandering through the forest boardwalk and finally arriving in front of it, the chapped surface of the shingles and the wood texture of the cast concrete become tangible.”

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