Steeped in history, the Beijing Tea House is a tasteful blend of past and present. Located opposite the Forbidden City's East Gate, the invitation-only tea salon was designed by Tokyo-based architect Kengo Kuma. A connoisseur of construction materials, Kuma fashioned the 2,700-square-foot structure from four different types of polyethylene blocks—a contemporary take on traditional Beijing-style bricks—and assembled them in a classic Chinese lattice pattern. In addition to insulating against the city's bone-chilling winters, this translucent material admits soft daylight, recalling the papered windows of the old Siheyuan-style residences nearby while imparting a futuristic glow to the whole interior.
Beijing Tea House by Kengo Kuma
Beijing
![Tea House](https://www.architecturalrecord.com/ext/resources/archives/features/snapshot/2015/images/09/Tea-House-Beijing-Kengo-Kuma-1.jpg?height=720&t=1551815290)
Photo © Koji Fujii/Nacasa & Partners
![Tea House](https://www.architecturalrecord.com/ext/resources/archives/features/snapshot/2015/images/09/Tea-House-Beijing-Kengo-Kuma-2.jpg?t=1551815298&width=1080)
Photo © Koji Fujii/Nacasa & Partners
![Tea House](https://www.architecturalrecord.com/ext/resources/archives/features/snapshot/2015/images/09/Tea-House-Beijing-Kengo-Kuma-3.jpg?t=1551815305&width=1080)
Photo © Koji Fujii/Nacasa & Partners
![Tea House](https://www.architecturalrecord.com/ext/resources/archives/features/snapshot/2015/images/09/Tea-House-Beijing-Kengo-Kuma-4.jpg?t=1551815313&width=1080)
Photo © Koji Fujii/Nacasa & Partners
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