Folded Flight
Tai Kang Group, Crane Pavilion at Crane Nature Memorial Preserve
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Wuhan, China | 2,000 SF
In Wuhan, one of the largest inland cities near China’s eastern coast, a spiritual sanctuary rises near a wetlands preserve.
![](https://www.gbbn.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/CranePreserve_Accent01_1220x585-1220x585.jpg)
Across Asia, the red-crowned crane has long been associated with longevity, immortality, and spiritual transcendence. To help China’s Tai Kang Group bring a legend to life, we started with the simple form of a paper origami crane.
![](https://www.gbbn.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/CranePreserve_Double4_781x471-768x471.jpg)
![](https://www.gbbn.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/CranePreserve_Double3_781x471-768x471.jpg)
Delicate creases are articulated in the hand-polished concrete exterior, cast with precision to hold glass panels that will ultimately enclose the space.
![](https://www.gbbn.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/CranePreserve_Gallery9_1220x564-1220x564.jpg)
A spiral stair in the café leads to a meditation platform beneath a skylight, reinforcing the sense of flight in a tranquil setting.
![](https://www.gbbn.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/CranePreserve_Double6_781x471-768x471.jpg)
![](https://www.gbbn.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/CranePreserve_Double5_781x471-768x471.jpg)
An opening in the folds give the small, intimate space an expansive view of surrounding wetlands and a place to watch cranes take flight during funeral ceremonies.
![](https://www.gbbn.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/CranePreserve_Header2_3000x1220-1220x508.jpg)
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Architizer A+Awards, Finalist
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AIA Cincinnati Architecture Merit Award
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