The Sun Tower's shadow marks the passing of the seasons credit Jonathan LeijonhufvudFor two years News Atlas (https://newatlas.com/architecture/) has reported on the progress of the construction of the Sun Tower in Yantai, China. The 164-foot (50m) curved conical tower was designed by OPEN Architecture symbolized the watch towers of the Ming dynasty (1368 to 1644 CE) that looked out over the coastline to warn of impending attack from the sea.
Adam Williams in the Nov. 4, 2024 issue of News Atlas provides another "infomercial" on the Sun Tower completed and opened in November on schedule:.
"Informed by meticulous studies of the Sun, the northern edge of the building is parallel to the noon sunlight of the equinoxes, while the entrance tunnel aligns with the sunset during the Winter Solstice," explains OPEN Architecture. "Sitting at the center of the Sun Tower is a semi-outdoor theater, which has been orientated with its central axis pointing towards the sunrise over Zhifu Island on Summer Solstice."
"Facing the ocean, the concave inner shell absorbs the sounds of the ocean, amplifying back through the structure, and down to the amphitheater at the base. Radiating from the center of the Plaza is a series of elliptical rings, resembling planetary orbits. A water channel is carved into the stone pavement. The intersections between the rings and the water channel mark the building shadow at specific hours during the equinoxes, and one outer ring features a series of fountains that celebrate the 24 solar terms of the traditional Chinese calendar."
In July 2023 (https://newatlas.com/architecture/sun-tower-open/), construction of the Sun Tower exhibition building and outdoor theater was fully underway in the Chinese city of Yantai. The tower was constructed by a French firm, Ducks Sceno and the engineering firm Arup, raising to 50m (164 ft) gracefully into the sky. The tower symbolizes the historic watch towers of the Ming dynasty (1368 to 1644 CE). Yantai literally means "Beacon Tower", named for the watch towers that look out over the coastline to warn of impending attack from the sea.
NewAtlas reported details: "Structurally, the building is made up of white concrete, which has been carefully shaped to respond to the Sun's trajectory. Round holes on its exterior are connected to a series of tubes, which channel natural light into the interior during the daytime. At night, its windows will be illuminated in a way designed to look like a starry sky. In addition to the building itself, its landscaping is very complex and will respond to the Northern Hemisphere's Spring and Fall equinox....The Sun Tower's basic structure is now complete – indeed, with excellent timing, OPEN [architects] actually carried out the topping out ceremony during the Northern Hemisphere's recent Summer Solstice. Work is ongoing to finish it off and it's expected to open to the public sometime in 2024.."
Read more at: https://newatlas.com/architecture/open-sun-tower-nears-completion/ and http://www.openarch.com/task/567
Adam Williams, author the the Sun Tower article of 16 Feb 2022 notes: "The concave form of the building will amplify sounds from the sea... Additionally, its shape has been created following careful studies of the sunlight during the times of the equinox in both the spring and fall. The main body of the tower will work with a plaza surrounding the building to track each equinox, a little like the Shanghai Astronomy Museum, by Ennead Architects. A water channel will cut across the plaza – a ruler of time – this is the straight line that the shadow of the Sun Tower will follow on the day of the equinox. A series of elliptical rings are set in the pavement pattern [with] the intersections between the rings and the water channel marking the building shadow's footprint at specific hours on the equinox day. At one of the outer rings, a series of fountains were designed to celebrate the 24 Solar Terms of the Traditional Chinese Calendar; on normal days they are synced with high and low tides."