Set between a pine forest and the shoreline of Rizhao, China, Selgascano’s Chiringuito Café turns glass into a tool for connection between nature and architecture. The 690-square-meter structure is composed of three elongated glass volumes arranged parallel to the sea, forming a transparent sequence that captures the shifting light, colors, and reflections of its surroundings.
Each of the three volumes is slightly elevated, rising in 70-centimeter increments from the forest toward the water, creating gentle terraces that organize the café’s program while maintaining uninterrupted views of both landscape and horizon. The transparent façades and sliding glass doors allow the sea breeze and sunlight to flow freely through the interior, making the café feel more like an open-air bridge than a closed pavilion.
Glass plays the leading role, dissolving boundaries and blending the building into its context. From the beach, the café almost disappears, reflecting the sky and trees until it becomes part of the landscape itself. At dusk, it glows softly, a lantern amid the sand and forest.
To complement this transparency, recycled aluminum tubes painted in five colors serve as sunshades and ceiling elements, filtering light and introducing Selgascano’s signature vibrancy. Through its glass composition, Chiringuito Café embodies lightness, reflection, and a seamless dialogue between architecture and nature. 
Source: designboom.com with additional information added by Glass Balkan
