In the rural village of Dun’ao, part of the coastal region of Sizhoutou in China, the collaboration between Practice on Earth and Increments Studio has transformed the remains of old agricultural structures into a small experimental architectural system. The project, titled Down in the Clouds, unfolds as a constellation of three micro-interventions scattered among rice fields and rolling hills.

In place of abandoned buildings, billboards, and storage units, three architectural installations now rise, combining steel containers with inflatable volumes. The aim is not only functional but also emotional: to offer visitors an experience of lightness, playfulness, and contemplation, in harmony with the natural tranquility of the site.

The first intervention is the Cloud Café, a coffee station housed in a tower of containers topped by a large inflatable cloud. The panoramic terrace at the top of the tower can only be reached by passing through the soft structure, creating a path that blurs the line between material and perception. The second intervention is the Leaning Cinema, a small tilted theater where the container, supported at only two points, leans at a 15-degree angle. The supporting columns are hidden by inflatable rings, softening the visual impact and creating an ironic contrast between the heavy steel mass and the balloon-like structural elements.

Finally, the Secret Reading Room is a reading space suspended above the fields, hidden within a steel frame supported by white inflatable spheres. There are no doors: one enters only by passing through the soft volumes, discovering their tactile nature only at the moment of contact.

The main technical challenge was making typically temporary elements like inflatables permanent. This required extensive testing, prototyping, and careful on-site work—often relying more on dialogue than on drawings.