Located in Shapingba District, Chongqing City, the site was originally Chongqing Special Steel Plant. Now architects aim to link the industrial heritage with the city’s destiny under the theme of "Youth Returns to Shapingba". Based on this framework, the design introduces five vertical systems from bottom to top, i.e., a low-carbon ecological special steel park, a blend of old and new industrial relics, a staggered high and low cloud-capped mountain city, a multi-connected aerial walkway, and a youth-centric steel canopy.
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Based on the protection of historical authenticity, the design retains the most iconic 300-meter riverside interface and the complete roof texture. It cautiously demolishes some plant buildings with severe structural damage and low historical value, and then repairs, transforms and revitalizes the industrial heritage in a light-touch approach, thereby creating a main spatial structure where the complete T-shaped square and the riverside landscape permeate and integrate with each other. Additionally, to highlight the iconic public path, the membrane-wrapped canopy meander and flow into the Jialing River like molten steel. As night falls, it becomes the coolest light show venue.
The T-shaped "TE" plaza connects the Jinbi Main Street and the residential area from north to south, converging all-day vibrant youth scenes along the central axis. On the Jialing Riverbank, the design lowers the original carriageway elevation to create a youth plaza extending the riverside living scenes, shaping multi-elevation activity platforms and river-viewing platforms, and forging an eco-landscaped special steel park. Looking back from the Jialing Riverbank, the cloud mountain city on the west side is the grandest backdrop of the Special Steel Plant. Here, design hotels, youth apartments and creative offices converge, coexisting with the old and new elements of the Special Steel Plant in a modern and minimalist style. The atrium of the mountain city extends into platforms and greenways at different elevations, creating the most comfortable urban creative living room. The super aerial block grows orderly from the plant buildings, serving as not only a slow-paced walkway threading through the mountain city but also an outdoor exhibition showcasing the history and culture of the Special Steel Plant. It functions as a river-viewing platform facing the Jialing River and provides an all-encompassing perspective for exploring heritage of the Special Steel Plant. As the backbone of the Special Steel Plant site, the super aerial block weaves new textures into the industrial heritage, forming a super youthful block with interconnected pathways and a blend of old and new elements.
The project, through comprehensive intervention of architecture, landscape and interior design, makes the ecology sustainable, history colliding and business forms immersive, exploring a new model of industrial heritage renewal. Ultimately, it has achieved the reconstruction with design language of youth, the integration of youth theme into the Ciqikou Grand Scenic Area, and the creation of a gathering place for fashion and check-in spot with original merchants and youth-oriented content
The Architectural Design & Research Institute of Zhejiang University Co., Ltd. (UAD) was established in 1953. The mission of UAD is to seek “harmonious environment, global vision, design-teaching-research integration and innovation, and the highest professionalism”. UAD adopts the development strategy of “high-grade culture, broad vision, high-efficiency management, high-caliber talents, high professional technologies and high-quality works”, with the academic theory of “Balanced Architecture” as the design guideline. During the past decades, UAD has always persisted in creating fine and innovative works, contributing a large number of outstanding works in various fields.