The small boat terminal is located near the small village named Pai Town in the Linzhi area of Tibet Autonomous Region. As the remotest stop along the Yaluntzangpu River, it allows both local people and travelers from outside to transport by water deep into the valley and come to the foot of the Namchabawa Snow Mountain.

With a total area of only 430 square meters, the building program is quite basic. It has a few toilets, a waiting lounge, a ticket office and a room for people to stay overnight in case the weather goes too fierce to travel on the river. The programs are covered by a series of ramps rising from the water and winding around several big poplar tree, and ends up suspending over the water. Looking from a distance, the building is completely merged with the riverbank topography and becomes part of the greater landscape.

Construction materials are mainly local. All the walls and roofs are made of rocks collected from nearby. Walls are built by Tibetan masonry builders in their own pattern. Window and door frames, ceilings and floors are all made of local timber.
小码头位于西藏雅鲁藏布大峡谷南迦巴瓦雪山脚下的派镇附近，派镇是林芝地区米林县的一个村级小镇，不仅是雅鲁藏布大峡谷的入口，还因为是通往全国唯一不通公路的墨脱县的陆路转运站而早就成为终极徒步旅行者的胜地。自从大峡谷被认定为世界第一大峡谷、中国国家地理杂志将其中海拔7782米的南迦巴瓦雪山选为“中国最美的山峰”之首，这里逐渐也成为普通徒步旅行者的目的地。

设计是从地段的选择开始的，我们从派镇出发沿岸一路向下游方向寻找合适的位置，我们需要一块水流不太急同时有一定水深的河岸。大约走到两公里多的江面拐弯处，我们一眼看中了这个位置，这里有形态特别的四棵胸径都超过1米大杨树，旁边还有几块巨大的岩石，站在岩石上顺着江流的方向看过去，随时可以看到峡谷背后高耸的加拉白垒和南迦巴瓦雪山。

码头的规模很小，只有430平米，功能也很朴素，主要为水路往返的旅行者提供基本的休息、候船、卫生间、和恶劣天气情况下临时过夜等功能。建筑是江边复杂地形的一部分，一条连续曲折的坡道，从江面开始沿岸向上，在几棵树之间曲折缠绕，坡道与两棵大树一起，围合成面向江面的小庭院，庭院由碎石铺成，可以供乘客休息观景。由庭院再向上，坡道先穿过上层坡道形成的一个挑空过道，经两次左转悬空越过自己，然后再次右转，并在高处从两棵大树之间穿出悬挑到江面上，成为一个飘在江面上的观景台。

码头的室内空间分为两块，一块是候船厅，一块是售票室和守候人员临时卧室，分别利用地形和坡势，隐藏在坡道的下面。候船厅面对的是低一点的小庭院和两棵大杨树，厅内有供休息喝茶的条桌条凳和冬季烧火取暖的石头炉子，尽端是两个卫生间。售票室和临时卧室位于最高标高的坡道下面，是部分悬挑的部分，卧室外有木平台，从木平台上看出去有很好的视野，可以观察江面的船只情况和远处的加拉白垒雪山。

建筑的材料，从墙面到坡道的地面，全部是来自附近的石头，墙体的砌筑全部由当地工匠采用他们熟悉的方式完成，室外和室内都统一采用粗糙的石墙；门窗和室内的天花、地面自然是用当地松木用当地的方式在现场加工的。