Liao Liao One Cup Caffè by Zhijiang Shan and Fan Li

Liao Liao One Cup Caffè by Zhijiang Shan and Fan Li is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award di Bronzu in Disignu d'Architettura Competition Category.

BronzuArchitettura· 2026

Liao Liao One Cup Caffè

by Zhijiang Shan and Fan Li

Client: R&J Design

A' Design Award di Bronzu Winner in Architettura Category

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Verified Award Winner

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Colors

The Design

About Liao Liao One Cup Caffè

Liao Liao One Cup hè un padiglione di caffè à un solu pianu custruitu accantu à u Museu di Luoyang in Luoyang, in China. L'edifiziu applica i principii di a casa passiva per riduce u bisognu di rinfriscamentu meccanicu. Una linea di tettu ondulata, inspirata da l'anticu fiume Luo, tira l'aria attraversu l'internu à pianu apertu è custituisce l'elementu architetturale principale. L'acciaiu Corten patinatu è l'acciaiu inossidabile lucidatu à spechju rivestenu a struttura d'acciaiu esposta, eliminendu u bisognu di finiture aghjunte. Un suffittu in petra bruta furnisce una massa termica, è e vetrate da u pavimentu à u suffittu portanu a luce di u ghjornu.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award di Bronzu

Liao Liao One Cup Caffè hè un vincitore di u premiu A' Design Award di Bronzu, una ricunniscenza assai prestigiosa attribuita à i disegni eccellenti chì si distinguenu per a creatività, l'ingegnu è l'acutezza. I vincitori di Bronzu sò artefatti largamente abili è sorprendentemente creativi chì autenticanu a vasta sperienza, l'imaginazione è l'ingegnosità di i so disegnatori. Si aspetta chì Liao Liao One Cup Caffè sia un oggettu assai apprezzatu, ammiratu è caru, rimarchevulemente prufessiunale è innuvatore. Stu disegnu vincitore di u premiu A' Design Award di Bronzu incorpora e migliori pratiche di l'arte, di a scienza, di u disegnu è di a tecnulugia è hè eccellente per l'attinzione à i detaglii. Liao Liao One Cup Caffè suddisfa splendidamente i bisogni, tocca i disideri, incanta i sentimenti è chjama a curiusità.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: This cafe pioneers passive house application in commercial hospitality, using the undulating roofline as both environmental system and cultural landmark. Natural ventilation replaces mechanical cooling while Corten steel and mirror-polished stainless steel create a bold material vocabulary. Adjacent to a major museum, the design establishes a new architectural identity for sustainable public gathering spaces in heritage contexts, proving innovation and cultural resonance can coexist.
Dimensions & Packaging: Single-story cafe pavilion featuring passive ventilation roofline, weathered Corten steel and mirror-polished stainless steel cladding, exposed steel structural framework, raw stone thermal mass ceiling, and floor-to-ceiling low-E glazing. Climate-responsive roof geometry optimized for natural airflow and daylight penetration. Minimal mechanical cooling systems required.
Tags: Cafe, passive house, sustainability, cultural landmark, Corten steel, innovation, Luoyang Museum, Luo River, natural ventilation, heritage, green architecture, climate responsive
Production Technology: The undulating roofline integrates passive house engineering with sculptural fabrication. Corten steel panels and mirror-polished stainless steel were precision-formed to optimize natural airflow patterns derived from computational climate analysis. Exposed structural frameworks eliminate the need for secondary finishes, reducing material waste. Raw stone ceiling textures provide thermal mass for passive temperature regulation. The entire construction strategy prioritizes long-term environmental performance alongside minimal site intervention.
Design Challenge: The core challenge was threefold: achieving passive house performance through architectural form alone, creating a recognizable cultural landmark adjacent to a major heritage institution, and proving these goals are complementary rather than contradictory. The resolution embedded environmental function within the sculptural roofline, allowing a single design element to serve as climate system, cultural symbol, and brand identity simultaneously.
Research: This project advances passive house application beyond residential typology into public commercial architecture. The roofline functions simultaneously as cultural landmark and environmental system, demonstrating that climate-responsive innovation can generate architectural identity rather than constrain it. Situated in a heritage district, the design proposes a replicable model for sustainable cultural landmarks that honor context through contrast rather than imitation.
Inspiration: Situated beside the Luoyang Museum, this project was inspired by the challenge of creating a new cultural landmark that advances sustainable building practice. The sculptural roofline channels the ancient Luo River, embedding climate-responsive innovation within cultural symbolism. The vision was to prove that passive house principles can define the next generation of public architecture in heritage districts, where environmental innovation and cultural identity reinforce each other.
Project Duration: Completed adjacent to Luoyang Museum, Luoyang, Henan Province, China in 2025
Operation Flow: The passive ventilation system shapes the visitor experience from arrival. The roofline draws air naturally through the open-plan interior, creating thermal comfort without mechanical noise. Floor-to-ceiling glazing connects visitors to the museum landscape while maximizing daylight, reducing energy consumption. Material transitions from raw Corten to polished steel guide movement through zones of varying intimacy, each defined by sustainable material honesty rather than decorative excess.
Team Members: Designers: Zhijiang Shan, Fan Li
Image Credits: Photo: Wei Zhao
Video: Zimo Shan