Revival Of The Silo - aotu architecte - agence architecture a Lyon

programme Art center and school of design
situation Guangzhou, PR-CHINA
client HMD
architecte aotu architecture office ltd.
surface 3 500 ㎡
budget International idea competition
calendrier 2nd price

 

Context
Guangzhou is the 3rd largest growing city in China’s fastest growing area – the Pearl River Delta (PRD). The PRD region is home to 100 million people and is one of the most urbanized areas in the world. Guangzhou is often considered to be a cultural ‘desert’, but nevertheless, it has many hidden places which often offer positive surprises to the urban experience. One such area is Redtory – a former packaging factory complex. It consists of numerous industrial buildings. Recently, “Red Plant” underwent a major revival in response to the occupation of many of its buildings by creative and enthusiastic individuals and organizations, who infused the complex with bars, restaurants, design studios and art galleries. The result is a unique and dynamic enclave for members of the progressive and independent art community.Project Intro.The aim of the project is to express a vision for the revitalization and reuse of a silo in the former packaging factory complex of Redtory, in Guangzhou, China.
The projects consist of creating a space for young designers and artists. Considering the proposal’s range of possible program the development should be capable of providing work space for more than one hundred design students and professionals.

The site and the existing building show very strong characteristics that will be either preserved or emphasized in the renovation process.
First, the position of the silo within the site. Surrounded by water, it appears as an island, a floating object that gives a strong feeling of monumentality.
Then the remarkable form of the silo : a massive, round in shape wall, that raise the question of its content.
Our project aims to highlight these main features.
The concept of the project is to create an artistic incubator : a place encouraging artistic interaction, ideas proliferation and visual stimulus.
Young creatives, as small cells, will develop inside this core until they reach an artistic maturity and eventually break out to the outside world to continue their progress.
The architectural project aims to express this idea of proliferation, creativity and liberation with boxes escaping from the silo.
Several boxes accommodate the various workshops and classrooms. They are linked by a continuous and irregular space.
Sometimes narrow, it’s only a corridor.
Sometimes wide, it becomes a lobby area or an exhibition space, where students, teachers and visitors can meet and exchange views.
This free space is flexible and can be appropriate for extraordinary events, while the boxes answer to the elementary needs of the school.

The programme answers to 2 purposes :
– the education which appears in the guise of teaching rooms. They regroup workshops (painting & drawing, sculpture, industrial art, multimedia), studios (design, photography, reprography, music) and classrooms.
– the communication which represents the public part of the school. It concerns the circulation area, the exhibition halls, the gallery, the auditorium (for lecture), the meeting room, the cafe and the roof terrasse.
The roof, which covers the ground floor, is accessible and provides a pleasant outside space.
It is partly made of glass, which brings natural light inside the building, and partly made of green spaces.
A mineral plaza, surrounded by the 3 higher boxes, can be the place for some open-air reception.
This refurbishment radically changes the perception that we have from the silo.
Thanks to the openings of the massive wall, the building appears less impenetrable, while the boxes emerging out of the silo underlines the new life that takes place inside. The added elements distinguish themselves from the old construction with a contemporary style, that mark the present time.
As well as new ideas ensure the evolution of our societies, the establishment of this school allows the revival of the silo.