Beijing studio DnA_Design and Architecture has built a tofu factory from wood in the mountains of Songyang in eastern China.
Set across a sloping site, the factory was designed to improve the tofu production facilities in the village of Caizhai in Songyang, a county in Zhejiang province.
It is also intended to showcase the manufacture of the soy-based food and includes a viewing gallery for visitors to observe the tofu-making process.

"The village has always been known for its best tofu production in the county region," explained DnA_Design and Architecture.
"But the products from the traditional family workshops could not fit into current food certificate standards to be able to sell in supermarkets."

DnA_Design and Architecture built the plant, which is located at the entrance to the village, to upgrade the local farming community's collective food manufacturing resources. The studio used traditional mortise-and-tenon joints to build the timber structure so that it fits in with the existing farmhouses of the 200-year-old village.

The factory is divided into separate rooms where different stages of the tofu-making process take place.
There are rooms for soaking, grinding and boiling the soybeans and vats for curdling the tofu and pressing it into blocks.

There is also an area for deep-frying the tofu and a tasting hall for visitors to sample the products.

These spaces are arranged in a linear fashion going up the slope, so visitors can walk up the ...