A canopy supported by slim white columns covers a hotpot restaurant by MUDA Architects in Chengdu, China which hugs the edge of a lotus pond in a eucalyptus forest.
The Garden Hotpot Restaurant is located at the edge of the Sansheng Township in a suburb of Chengdu, and specialises in the area's traditional cuisine where a simmering pot is served at the table.

MUDA Architects designed the restaurant to have a minimal impact on the local landscape and ecology.
"The natural landscape of the site is beautiful but complex," said the practice. "Eucalyptus trees must be preserved, and the terrain is torturous with a two metre drop."

After mapping the terrain closely, MUDA Architects responded with a simple, lightweight structure with a curved form inspired by steam rising from a hotpot. Garden Hotpot Restaurant has no exterior or internal walls, only thin steel pillars, with decking below and a roof above.
Photo is by the MUDA Architects
The structure hugs the banks of the pond closely, growing and shrinking in width in response to the landscape and nearby trees  to "blur the boundary" between the building and nature.
As well as providing seating areas for diners, a low wooden balustrade runs along the restaurant's perimeter to form a viewing walkway that frames panoramas of the surrounding landscape.
Photo is by the MUDA Architects
"Thin columns are evenly distributed on both sides, and the free curve of the roof forms several transparent vi...