Liao Liao One Cup Café by Zhijiang Shan and Fan Li

Liao Liao One Cup Café by Zhijiang Shan and Fan Li is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award de Bronze in Design d'Architecture, Bâtiment et Structure Competition Category.

BronzeArchitecture· 2026

Liao Liao One Cup Café

by Zhijiang Shan and Fan Li

Client: R&J Design

A' Design Award de Bronze Winner in Architecture Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #180902

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The Design

About Liao Liao One Cup Café

Liao Liao One Cup est un pavillon-café de plain-pied édifié à proximité du musée de Luoyang, à Luoyang, en Chine. Le bâtiment applique les principes de la maison passive afin de réduire le recours au rafraîchissement mécanique. Une ligne de toiture ondulante, inspirée de l'antique rivière Luo, canalise l'air à travers l'intérieur en plan ouvert et constitue l'élément architectural principal. De l'acier Corten patiné et de l'acier inoxydable poli miroir habillent l'ossature métallique apparente, rendant superflu tout revêtement de finition supplémentaire. Un plafond en pierre brute apporte de l'inertie thermique, tandis que des vitrages toute hauteur font entrer la lumière naturelle.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award de Bronze

Liao Liao One Cup Café est lauréat de l'A' Design Award de Bronze, une reconnaissance hautement prestigieuse décernée à des designs remarquables qui se distinguent par leur créativité, leur ingéniosité et leur sagacité. Les lauréats Bronze sont des artefacts amplement habiles et d'une créativité frappante, qui authentifient la vaste expérience, l'imagination et l'ingéniosité de leurs concepteurs. Liao Liao One Cup Café est censé être un objet très estimé, admiré et chéri, remarquablement professionnel et innovant. Ce design lauréat de l'A' Design Award de Bronze intègre les meilleures pratiques de l'art, de la science, du design et de la technologie, et est excellent par son souci du détail. Liao Liao One Cup Café satisfait admirablement les besoins, touche les désirs, charme les sentiments et attire la curiosité.

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