Firm： DOMANI Architectural Concepts

Type： Commercial › Exhibition Center

STATUS： Built

YEAR： 2021

Photos： Vincent Wu (12)

Located on the west bank of the Pearl River, the original site with four separated brick warehouses that built in the 1950s was a significant granary of Guangzhou. As the first stage of the city government’s renewal master plan in the area, the key objectives of the adaptive reuse project was to remain its industrial past as a reminder of the history, while build a city-planning exhibition hall and civic center that act as a beacon to investors, developers and citizens, to encourage a massive participation in the rebirth of the old district. The core design idea was to ensure its new functional usability, while presenting the old site in an attractive way to the young generation.

The project has been rated a high score of platinum level in the SITES Sustainable System, as the first to achieve that in China.

The original simple structure and materials of the warehouses were reserved as far as possible, while customized imitated clay bricks are adopted in the new-built part. In order to create a connected inner space for a new massive building, a canopy of glass and steel structure was build on and above the top of the parallel barns, which enabled the interior to be rearranged to flexibly usage. Its triangle appearance inherit the inclined angle of the sloping ceilings of the old warehouses, and at the same time give a steady yet energetic characteristic. Modern steel structure and glass, together with traditional bricks, worked harmoniously.

The steel structure of the canopy extended on both sides to the ground, which formed a corridor that brought in the riverside landscape, and coexist with the original plants on the site. It also created an interaction between the building and the natural environment, helping to build a friendly and cozy ambience for the interior.