Penda China has built three glazed aluminium-clad entrance canopies to the Haikou Wenming East Road Tunnel in Haikou City, China.
Built as the entrances to a 2,700-metre-long tunnel under the Nandu River on Hainan Island in China, the bright white canopies are informed by the shape of seashells.
Penda China designed the entrance canopies for the Haikou Wenming East Road Tunnel
"Seashells were the main source of inspiration for us," said Penda China co-founder Sun Dayong.
"The canopy is not a mere replica of shellfish, we distilled the general shape out of a bivalve shellfish and instilled our creativity into beautification and detailings," he told Dezeen. "The entrance bears the hallmark of a sculptural art form." The entrance on the east side covers six lanes of traffic
Penda China designed a large entrance, where all six lanes of traffic enter the tunnel, on the east side of the river and a pair of smaller entrances its the west side.
All three of the canopies for the Haikou Wenming East Road Tunnel were designed with a form that curves upward to although light into the tunnel entrances.
According to the studio, the entrances' clamshell shape helps to create a transitional zone to allow drivers to adjust to the change in light conditions.
The tunnels' shape and finish was informed by seashells
"Human eyes need time to make some adjustment as the luminance uniformity alters; if not, a probable visual deprivation would occur instantane...