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Skyboat Cafe, Sebaka sa ho Shebella by Xin Yuan

Skyboat Cafe, Sebaka sa ho Shebella by Xin Yuan is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 Moputso oa Khauta oa A' Design Award in Moralo wa Meaho, Dikaho le Dibopego Competition Category.


KhautaMeaho· 2022

Skyboat Cafe, Sebaka sa ho Shebella

by Xin Yuan

Client: XinY structural consultants

Moputso oa Khauta oa A' Design Award Winner in Meaho Category

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Verified Award Winner

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Colors

The Design

About Skyboat Cafe, Sebaka sa ho Shebella

Skyboat ke moaho oa mekato e 'meli o hahiloeng ka holim'a mokoti o tebileng limithara tse 613 Leye, China. Likamore tsa hotele li behiloe mokatong o ka tlase, cafe mokatong oa pele le sethala sa ho shebella marulelong. Sethala sena se kenyelletsa fatše ea khalase eo ho ka tsamauoang holim'a eona e nang le boholo ba limithara tse 10 ka tse 12.5. Moaho o namela holim'a tsela e moqotetsane e ka holim'a mokoti 'me o phahamela moeeng limithara tse 34 le limithara tse 22 mahlakoreng ka bobeli a mokokotlo oa thaba. Bohareng ba boima bo tlase bo lumella sebopeho sena ho itekanyetsa. Ho sebelisitsoe litšehetso tse hlano feela, e leng se fokotsang tšenyo ea limela tsa sebaka seo.

The Recognition

About the Moputso oa Khauta oa A' Design Award

Skyboat Cafe, Sebaka sa ho Shebella ke mohapi oa Moputso oa Khauta oa A' Design Award, kananelo e hlomphehang haholo e fuoang meralo ea maemo a pele, e ntle ka ho makatsa le e ikhethang. Bahapi ba Khauta ke lintho tse hlahisitsoeng tse nang le mehopolo e mecha haholo, tse shebileng pele le tse khanyang ka ho foufatsa, tse bontšang botsebi, bohlale le bokhoni ba baqapi ba tsona. Skyboat Cafe, Sebaka sa ho Shebella e lebelletsoe ho ba mohopolo o babatsoang haholo, o thehang mekhoa e mecha le o moholo, o tlisang boleng bo sa kang ba bonoa. Moralo ona o hapileng Moputso oa Khauta oa A' Design Award ke mosebetsi o tsosang maikutlo, o hlomphehang, o tlisang molemo o moholo le o sutumelletsang meeli ea bonono, mahlale, moralo le theknoloji. Skyboat Cafe, Sebaka sa ho Shebella e hlahisa maikutlo a matla a takatso, e tsosa tjantjello, e khothalletsa boqapi mme e re khahlisa.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties
The structure cantilevers 36m over the 613m deep sinkhole. The top of the sinkhole is extremely narrow which can only accommodate a small passageway. Skyboat is proposed to span over the passageway and cantilever out to each side of the mountain ridge. Similar to the tumbler toys, it is proposed to lower the structure centre of gravity and utilize the minimum area (10metres by 30metres), in which way, the self-balance of the structure is therefore achieved.
Dimensions & Packaging
two-storey building consisting of hotel rooms at the ground floor, a café at the first floor and a roof viewing platform which contains a 10metre-by-12.5metre walk-on glass floor. The building comprises a construction area of 495m2 and covers a plan dimension of 10metres by 80metres. Both ends of the building cantilevers out by 34metres and 22metres respectively. The total steel weight used is 438 tonne.
Tags
Skyboat, XinY, Glass floor, Cantilever, Leye, Dashiwei
Production Technology
There are only five supports proposed. This minimizes the damages to the local vegetation.

To protect the local plants and rivers, hanging falsework was used during the construction stage and to have the structural members installed by pieces.
Design Challenge
The structure cantilevers 36m over the 613m deep sinkhole. The top of the sinkhole(the site)is extremely narrow which can only accommodate a small passageway.
A long crack at the site indicates the site is not stable. Apart from grouting the existing crack, it is also proposed to have the key struts at each ends of the building inclining towards the ridge, the horizontal component forces from which then provided the embracing forces to the ridge and hence improved the stability of the site.
Research
The structural system and component arrangements were adapted to the force distribution, perfectly aligned with the elegant architectural geometry.
By increasing the key strut lengths, the pre-cambering of the front cantilever structure is then achieved, which can compensate the deflections under the dead loads and some of the live loads. This also protects the glazings from large deformations.
Inspiration
A big goose, a e tumbler toy.

The long crack at the top of the ridge indicates the site is not stable. Apart from grouting the existing crack, it is also proposed to have the key struts at each ends of the building inclining towards the ridge, the horizontal component forces from which then provided the embracing forces to the ridge and hence improved the stability of the site.
Project Duration
The project started on 2018 in Leye China and finished on 2019.
Operation Flow
Visitors can enjoy coffee in the beauty of nature, or they can walk on the glass floor above the 600-meter deep pit to experience the shock of their heartbeats.
Team Members
Structural Engineers:XinY & Yuanlizhu
Client:Guangxi Leye DashiWei
Architect:Zhong Huaying Studio
Codesign:LiLi & Shanghai ZhongJian Architectural Design
Principal Contractor:China Railway 25th Group 6th Company
Image Credits
Image#1: Photographer Li Jin, Yongheng,2019.
Image#2: Photographer Yongheng, Yongheng,2019.
Image#3: Photographer Yongheng, Yongheng,2019.
Image#4: Photographer Xin Yuan, XinY,2019.
Image#5: Photographer Yongheng, Yongheng,2019.
Video Credits: Yongheng

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