ZAO / Zhang Ke Architecture Office

The boat terminal is located near Pai Town in the Linzhi area of Tibet. As the remotest stop along the Yarlung Tsangpo River, it allows both local people and travellers from elsewhere to journey by water deep into the valley and arrive at the foot of the Namcha Barwa Snow Mountain.

Only 430 square metres in area, the building pro-gramme is quite simple. It has a waiting lounge, a ticket office, toilets and a room for overnight stays, in case the weather prevents travel by boat. The programmatic requirements are integrated into a series of ramps rising from the water and winding around several big poplar trees. The ramp culminates in a cantilever over the water. Viewed from a distance, the building completely merges with the riverbank topography and becomes part of the greater landscape.

Construction materials are mainly local. All the walls and roofs are made of rocks collected from nearby the site. Tibetan masonry builders built the walls in the traditional manner and used local timber for the window and door frames, ceilings and floors.