THE SCREEN (2014) is a small management building located in the mountain range Dichen Valley, on the outskirts of the city Ningbo, in Zhejiang Province, China. It is the first building in a larger development and houses offices, dormitories and a public dining hall for the team responsible for the maintenance of the Dichen Valley.

The project was designed while working at Atelier Li Xiaodong in Beijing, China. We aimed at softening the borders between the architecture and its surrounding, and mixing traditional Chinese craftsmanship with modern technologies. The relation between building mass and environment is softened by carefully placed courtyards and the perforated facade, which at first glance appears to be made of concrete, but is a delicately crafted brick veil that functions as a transparant layer between inside and outside.