Urban reuse of super large-scale facilities can be a tricky affair. There is the consideration of the urban image and engagement, as well as the need to incorporate some form of human scale so that users can be personally involved. Urbanus’ intervention to the brewery of Kingway Brewery in Luohu, the downtown district of Shenzhen Special Economic Zone in China, provides a good case study that balances both aspects.
“Urbanus believes that the preservation and regeneration of a historical industrial site not only can restore a place, but also a spirit. A city’s industrial heritage should not become merely another consumer product in the post-industrial age. Its rich memory and legacy should be rediscovered, highlighted and amplified so that it will take on a new life with productions of new ideas and infinite new possibilities,” says Yan Meng, the firm’s co-founder.
capsule for collective memory
The project takes into consideration the collective memory that Shenzheners have of the brewery, particularly the early immigrants who came to pursue their dreams of a better life as China developed the city as the forefront of its reform during the noughties when the country opened up.
A substantial portion of the building’s standing structures were demolished following the city’s aggressive urban development and drive for industry, shifting from a manufacturing to a smart economy. Urbanus worked with the remaining rectilinear site of about 11,600 sqm following the concept ‘Space as Exhibition’. The first step was to uncover – or rather, rediscover – and transform the site’s spatial features in relevant and innovative ways through working with these leftover structures and facilities. The programme was a series of cultural facilities suited to urban life.
This story is from the Issue 129 edition of d+a.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the Issue 129 edition of d+a.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Nature Guiding Nurture
A luxury resort obtains inspiration from ecological protection and local motifs
Reimagining Singapore's Future: From Nation Building To National Reuse
Two decades ago, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong painted a vivid architectural picture of Singapore as a nation perpetually under construction (Lee, 2003).
Range Rover Velar Unveiled
Innovative technology has been put to excellent use in updating the design of the Range Rover Velar
Clean, Green, And Connected
Skyblox Co-Living in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is leading the way to sustainable and uplifting urban housing
Custom Production Boosts This Manufacturer's Position
Danovel's expertise in custom services is buoyed by advanced technology and trends awareness
Three Strategies To See If AI Creativity Is Limited Or Limitless
The two columns have exactly same sentences but with completely different meanings when read in reverse. We all see exactly the same AI, but each of us can come to completely different conclusions whether AI creativity is limited or limitless.
focus on quality and innovation
Despite proven capability in supplying furniture to large-scale projects, Design Studio Vito Selma requires no minimum order
filling in the gaps
Leading manufacturers introduce highly innovative solutions in response to the evolving uses of the kitchen
where beauty, meaning and function meet
Great design should be able to enrich people's experience of their surroundings
unpacking titoudao
Goh Boon Teck directs and designs his multiple-award-winning play with copious amount of research and experimentation