XBTW Office Unveils 'Coral' Stainless Steel Art in Yantai

XBTW Office Completes 'Coral' Installation in Yantai, China

XBTW Office, a creative practice, installed a public art piece named "Coral" on the coastline of Yantai, China. The installation, situated at the northwest corner of West Park at Longfor Puti peninsula, faces tidal flats and the sea. "Coral" comprises twelve oversized white stainless-steel cylinders, arranged to form an inhabitable space.

The structure is designed to engage visitors with the coastal environment, allowing them to move through it, pause, or use two west-facing swings to experience the tides and sea breeze. This project demonstrates the application of durable materials in large-scale public realm design for coastal settings.

Stainless Steel Cylinders Form Coral-Inspired Design

The design of the "Coral" installation draws inspiration from the repetition and aggregation patterns observed in coral colonies. XBTW Office used the twelve white stainless-steel cylinders as fundamental units, arranging them into two distinct groups, positioned both above and below a thin horizontal roof plane. This roof plane passes through the overall composition.

The cylinders are placed at varying heights and orientations, creating an overlapping and shifting arrangement. This configuration defines the internal spaces, encouraging public interaction and movement within the structure. The choice of stainless steel provides the necessary resilience for a marine-adjacent environment.

Cylinder Perforations Range From 4 to 25 Millimeters

Each stainless-steel cylinder features a perforated pattern, inspired by the density variations found in deep-sea fish schools. Specifically, each cylinder contains between 2,000 and 4,000 perforations. These openings vary in size, ranging from 4 millimeters to 25 millimeters in diameter.

The differing densities and scales of these perforations create a gradient texture across the white stainless-steel surfaces, designed to evoke the visual effect of fish gathering and dispersing. Additionally, a select number of larger perforations are shaped to resemble marine creatures such as starfish, octopuses, and seashells, adding specific visual details. After sunset, light passes through these perforations, transforming the installation's appearance.

Implications for Asian Specifiers of Coastal Public Art

This Yantai installation highlights the application of custom-fabricated stainless steel for public realm projects in coastal areas. For procurement directors and specifiers in Asia working on waterfront developments, this project demonstrates how large-format, perforated stainless-steel elements can be engineered for both aesthetic impact and environmental durability.

The use of specific perforation sizes (4-25 millimeters) and counts (2,000-4,000 per cylinder) for visual effects provides a reference for custom metalwork specifications.

Asian fabricators specializing in architectural metalwork can note the complexity of such designs, particularly for projects requiring marine-grade materials and intricate surface detailing for light interaction.