In the early 1950s, shortly after the proclamation of the People’s Republic of China, the “Dashanzi” industrial park was established in Beijing as an autonomous area with work-places, housing and the relevant infrastructure. Today, many of the industrial concerns that were originally established here are moving their headquarters to the periphery of the city, and the small-scale older factories are being converted to provide space for cultural activities. The complex that formerly housed the offset printers in the “798 Art Zone”, for example, grew to become a heterogeneous urban conglomerate.
The first task of the Chinese office Origin Architects, which was entrusted with the conversion, consisted of removing unwanted insertions, uncovering the original brick facades and carefully refurbishing and complementing the existing fabric. On the foundations of dilapidated sections of the building they erected what was to be the heart of the new development, a multifunctional theatre that adapts the industrial appeal of the surrounding buildings.
Not without reason, the architects call this ensemble the “storehouse” and have clad the simple steel structure with preoxidized steel sheeting. The hall volume defines two courtyards, around which stand administrative facilities, storage and technical spaces. Public and semi-public areas exist on all levels. A system of staircases and elevated walkways allowed roof terraces to be created on the tops of the buildings, thus extending the amenities.
The first task of the Chinese office Origin Architects, which was entrusted with the conversion, consisted of removing unwanted insertions, uncovering the original brick facades and carefully refurbishing and complementing the existing fabric. On the foundations of dilapidated sections of the building they erected what was to be the heart of the new development, a multifunctional theatre that adapts the industrial appeal of the surrounding buildings.
Not without reason, the architects call this ensemble the “storehouse” and have clad the simple steel structure with preoxidized steel sheeting. The hall volume defines two courtyards, around which stand administrative facilities, storage and technical spaces. Public and semi-public areas exist on all levels. A system of staircases and elevated walkways allowed roof terraces to be created on the tops of the buildings, thus extending the amenities.