The Zhao Zhao Tea Lounge was created as a tea appreciation space where Taiwanese tea culture can extend its roots. Designed with pure, natural materials such as wood, concrete or glass, the different floors showcase an open and reduced Asian style that invites visitors to immerse in the culture and flavours of Taiwanese tea in a variety of approaches. On the first floor, the tea roasting area, guests can observe the meticulously defined steps underlying master tea-making. Next to the roasting area is a tea room where guests can rest amid the lingering smell of charcoal baking and tea and have access to the narrow backyard with planted trees. Enjoying a cup of tea there is thus intended to become a ceremony of focusing the five senses in that taste, touch, sound, smell and sight coalesce into a pleasant aesthetic experience. The tea lounge philosophy of being mindful and living in the here and now – modestly and without unnecessary decor – is expressed in a very harmonious manner.
심사평
The Zhao Zhao Tea Lounge demonstrates in a beautiful, impressive manner how an old building can be reused and transformed into a teahouse that lends new meaning to traditional culture. The architecture and minimalist design with deliberately pure and naturally processed materials imbues the rooms with a pristine sense of naturalness that consistently conveys the intended message.
