Golden A' Design Award Winner 2025
Pengfei He's Dongtou Passenger Port Cruise Terminal emerges from an elevated aerial vantage as a masterwork of contemporary parametric architecture seamlessly integrated into its maritime landscape, where the primary focal point consists of three organic, shell-like pavilion structures rendered in luminous titanium white that cascade along a sweeping curvilinear promenade extending into deep cerulean waters, their biomorphic silhouettes suggesting barnacle formations or weathered coastal stones polished by centuries of tidal action, while the compositional architecture employs a sophisticated S-curve schema that guides the eye from the densely forested hillside in the upper register through intermediate civic plazas populated with miniature human figures establishing scale, down toward the geometric precision of floating pier structures projecting into the harbor like outstretched fingers, the chromatic palette demonstrating remarkable restraint with dominant cool tones of slate blue waters graduating from deep indigo in the foreground to misty atmospheric gray toward the horizon, counterbalanced by the warm viridian and emerald masses of coniferous forest canopy occupying the upper left quadrant, the architectural forms themselves providing chromatic punctuation through their pristine white surfaces that capture ambient daylight with subtle warm undertones suggesting early morning or late afternoon golden hour illumination, spatial construction operates simultaneously through atmospheric perspective evidenced by the progressive desaturation and value compression of distant landmasses dissolving into coastal haze, and through the dramatic scale diminution of vessels scattered across the water surface, the textural vocabulary contrasts the organic roughness of natural forest canopy with the smooth mathematical precision of the terminal's flowing concrete surfaces, while the overall atmospheric resonance evokes contemplative tranquility balanced with dynamic anticipation of maritime journeys, the composition achieving that rare synthesis of monumental civic presence with sensitive environmental integration that characterizes the finest examples of landscape-responsive contemporary architecture.
Dongtou Passenger Port is a cruise terminal located at Tantou Mountain Bay in Dongtou, China. The terminal links urban and scenic areas. Guided by the concept of symbiosis of mountain and sea, terraced setback buildings and planted slopes form a three dimensional space. The design connects the mountains and the coastline lengthwise and includes an 800 meter commercial and waterfront belt across the site. Transport, commercial and ecological corridors are placed on separate levels. A curved concrete shell structure, inspired by seashell forms, keeps the interior free of columns.