Urban Village Memorial Hall Renovation by Lyn123456

Urban Village Memorial Hall Renovation

Manchester School of Architecture

MA Architecture and Adaptive Reuse

Xianglinzi Shan

Project Context Strategy of Renovation

Site Location

Background

Current Status

Building Analysis

Value No.1 Conservation

Relationship

Objectives

User Function

Streamline Design

Structure

Materials

Element Extraction

Concept

No.2 Insertion No.3 Installation

Renovation Proposal

Form

Height

Bridges

Entrance

Eave

Green

Exploded diagram

Model display Views

Drawings

Site plan

Demolition Plan

Floor plans

Elevations

Section

Details

Effect drawing

Site Location

CHINA

The project is located in Laoxu Town,Longgang District, northeast of Shenzhen, 57 km from downtown Futian District and 13km from the center of Longgang.

Laoxu Town used to be a prosperous area of Longgang District in the 20th century, gathering many shops. But over time,Shenzhen's central development shifted to Luohu District, Futian District, Nanshan District in the south, and Longgang District in the north became a backward place. Laoxu Town has also become an old urban village.

SHENZHEN CITY

LONGGANG DISTRICT

1970s

1937s

July 7, 1937 - September 9, 1945

China's Anti-Japanese War,A large number of people emigrated overseas or smuggled into Hong Kong

1949s

As China's economy improved, a large number of overseas Chinese returned home to build new homes. Upper Street 1 was built in Shenzhen by a businessman surnamed Wen who had earlier moved to Hong Kong from Guangdong Province to work there. He started building this strange building in the 1970s, and it took him five years to complete it because of the purchase limit of concrete at that time. It's for himself and his family to live in.

1980s

The Founding of New China On October 1, 1949, the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China was solemnly held in Beijing, the capital, and the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China was solemnly proclaimed. People's war-torn lives became normal.

1997s

The handover of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China was at midnight on 1 July 1997. This event ended 156 years of British rule in the former colony, which began in 1841.

Shenzhen Special Economic Zone was established in August 1980. It is one of the earliest special economic zones established in the People's Republic of China. After the establishment of the Special Zone, Shenzhen developed rapidly from a poor fishing village to an international trading metropolis.

2024s

Shenzhen has become a large-scale city. The old neighborhoods in the city need overall urban renewal. This building and the history it contains also need to find their own value in the new erato escape being demolished.

It is said that the owner of the building died around 2000, and the building was rented out to others. In 2012, the town including the building was acquired by a real estate developer who planned to demolish it and build a new land

2012s

Current Status

Upper Street 1st also known as Longgang Strange Tower, is a fortress that pops up at the end of the street. It is 25.6 meters high and has a total of 11 floors including the basement. The materials used were all reinforced concrete, which was extremely expensive at the time.

A Hongkong Business man built a concrete castle for his family and hisself to live.

After the old man died, his family moved out and the house stood idle.

Housing agency accepted this building and started to rent to local people and new commers.

Now the whole village is going to be demolished, including this building.

Building Analysis

The whole building, including all the furniture, is made of concrete in situ, and each layer is very different in height, function and space atmosphere.

According to the function,it can be roughly divided into: two storehouses on the underground floor, the second floor is a living space, the third floor is a luxury restaurant, the fourth floor is a luxury bathroom, the fifth floor is a viewing room, the sixth floor is a garden, the seventh floor is a study, the eighth floor is a roof garden villa. The ninth floor is a meditation space, and the roof is a symbolic space for dialogue between man and the sky.

Concrete

Steel

Barbed Wire

Glass

The value of the building itself

Amazing Outsider Architecture

The different height of the storey, the lack of fixed column network structure, the random shape of the windows, and the narrow staircase are all things that amazed the architect These unique features should be preserved, not dismantled.

The story behind the building

A fort that the owner built for himself

The owner of the building built himself a fortresslike concrete house to protect himself. From almost no Windows below to a few small ones in the middle, to an open garden balcony at the top. It symbolizes the inner activities of the master. The story behind the building is also one of the values of the building. Think about why the building was formed and explore the meaning behind it.

Relationship

The relationship between buildings and cities / streets / people

The construction area of urban villages in Shenzhen accounts for 36.3% of the total housing construction area of the city, with 5.1 million units, carrying the population of 10 million in Shenzhen, including 87% of the city's migrant population.

Our project located in a neighbourhood inhabited by residents from Hakka communities Laoxu town.Until the 1990s, it was the main business district in central Longgang.But now it is one of Shenzhen's many urban villages, hosting migrant workers.

This project is located at the top of Main Street with the main entrance facing the Main Street. But the base is close to the residential buildings, the space is very narrow, the path is only a few meters apart.

It is a tower in the basin of the city.

Objectives

How to retain its architectural features and enhance its cultural value?

Discover the historical and cultural memories behind its architecture and inject new urban lifestyle.

This building has a high preservation value and will be transformed into a urban village memorial hall.Focuses on the relationship between architecture and village, village and city.It is of great significance to carry the memories of Shenzhen people.

Let this build become local legend, then landmark; work its way onto lists of ‘must see’ destination.become popular tourist attractions, and even been officially embraced as ‘heritage’ through designation in the future.

About urban villages

Shenzhen urban Village is the product of rapid urban development. It is a unique landscape of Shenzhen. It is a narrow and crowded village surrounded by tall buildings.

Many migrants who come to Shenzhen to work started out living in cheap rental houses in urban villages, which carry many people's memories.

With the continuous advancement of Shenzhen's urban renewal, there are fewer and fewer urban villages in Shenzhen, which are basically being demolished and built into skyscrapers.

Crowded and dilapidated environment

Demolition of the urban village

Laoxu Town

Who lives here?

The once prosperous scene of Laoxu town has gradually fallen behind with the changes of The Times, and the dilapidated houses have been unable to meet the needs of the residents after the economic conditions have improved. Most of the residents bought new houses and moved out of town, leaving only the elderly and migrant workers renting cheap old houses.

1970s

Before 2000 :

Local villagers, Returned overseas Chinese, and Immigrants from Hong Kong

After 2000 :

Old villagers, Retail traders, Migrant workers,Tenants

2000s

Who will be the user?

Tourists, nearby residents, people who used to live in the village

2024s

Function

Urban Village Memorial Hall

The function is to connect with the surrounding environment, retain historical memory, and promote the special local culture. I designed it as a Urban Village Memorial Hall.

Retaining most of its interior wall structure, and concrete furniture. The large open space on the ground floor is used as a display space to set up an exhibition gallery.

Taking the space with more mid-level furniture as the experience space, tourists can experience living in the narrow and crowded environment of the urban village. I will use 3d projection technology here to play the slideshow of urban village life, so that visitors can experience it.

The open space at the top is suitable as a rest space to end this closed and oppressive journey, and finally visitors reach the top floor to enjoy the light and broad view, symbolizing the inner desire of people living in the urban village for open and spacious space.

RF Viewing platform

9F Garden/Meditation

8F Gift shop

7F Rooftop cafe

6F Office/archives

3F/4F/5F Experience space

1F/2F Display space

GF Display space/Reception

BF Toilet/Storage room

Renovation Proposal

Insertion stairs and lift

Due to the inconvenience of the internal traffic of the building, the conversion into a public building must meet the fire code, and there is an emergency evacuation channel in the event of a fire. Special access for the disabled is also considered, so an elevator and a staircase are necessary. The small space inside the building and the concrete structure is not easy to dismantle, so this set of elevators and stairs can only be placed outside.

Model testing

At present, inserting a traffic core on the right side of the building is a good choice. The right civilian house will be transformed into the front room of the traffic nucleus. The corridor is connected to each floor without affecting the flow of the road to the right of the building.

What is the most suitable form for this access core?

The stairs are on the same side as the lift.The traditional way of placing occupies a large area and looks more cumbersome

Stairs and elevators are located on both sides, and the middle connects the corridor bridge to the building.It looks small from the front, but looks like a wall from the side.

The stairs surround the elevator in a square shape.This form tries to reduce the volume of the front and side, but the square is not the smallest form.

The stairs surround the elevator in a circular shape.This form visually minimizes the volume, both from the front and from the side, and adds more interest to the circular spiral staircase.

Stairs

Lower than the original building

Access core how high is appropriate?

Lower than the original building

I hope that the height of the access core is lower than that of the original building, so that the relationship between primary and secondary can be distinguished. The original building is the main building, and the new access core is the secondary building, serving the original building

Do not block the view of the viewing platform

Secondly, the access core will not block the view of the landscape platform of the original building. And the access core is used for the traffic of the original building, so it can not be too short than the original building

Do not block the view of the viewing platform

Where do the bridges fit?

Functionally

Functionally speaking, the access core needs to assume the function of dispersing the crowded traffic in the original building, so it needs to be connected at least in the place where the indoor space is converted to the outdoor open space, namely the rooftop cafe.

But a bridge is obviously not enough for the 9-story building, and the 3 floors are connected again at 8 meters. From a functional point of view, the three floors below is a large space display area, and the three floors above is an experience area with more furniture.

Structurally

Structurally speaking. Shenzhen is a coastal city with frequent typhoon problems, and the structural connection between the bridge on the top 7th floor and the bridge on the middle 3rd floor can enhance the stability of the traffic core.

It is also a good choice for sightseeing routes and will not make people feel oppressed when walking between the original building and the access core outside

Connected at 16.10 meters and 8.13 meters

Connected at 16.10 meters and 4.00 meters

only at 16.10 meters

Views

Top-City View

Visitors can see the large-scale urban landscape, high-rise buildings and traffic through the top area.Enjoy the unique sight of the city surrounding the village.

Middle-Village View

Visitors can enjoy the scattered roof of the village in the city from the middle, which is the unique tiled roof landscape here. You can also see the pattern of the whole village, the vein of the streets.

Bottom -Street View

At the bottom, visitors can see the street landscape, the streets full of humanistic atmosphere, and the vivid and colorful life. Old people sit in the sun at the door, children play on the side, middle-aged people gather together to play cards.

The three sections of the building are also three stages that change the perspective from street to village to city.

Bottom View

Middle View

Top View

Streamline Design

The route of visitors

Visitors enter from the entrance on the first floor of the main building, and walk all the way up to a one-way tour.

At the third and eighth floors, there are two Bridges leading to the new outdoor traffic tower. Visitors can choose to exit from the third floor or the eighth floor.

Up the 8th floor is the sightseeing platform, which is only accessible by walking, and tourists need to return to the 8th floor to take the elevator out after viewing.

The elevator can carry people directly to the rooftop cafe on the 8th floor and the display areas on the 3rd floor, but the stairs in the main building are narrow, so it is forbidden to go backward.

The route of visitors

How the elevator is connected to the stairs ？

Method 1

There is a gap between the inside of the stairs and the elevator, which is supported by the extension of the elevator structure

Method 2

There are no gaps between the stairs and elevators, which fit together and share the same structure

In this way, the steel bars buried in the stairs allow the stairs to be suspended without additional support, but only at a lower Step support steel structure

Selection of materials Materials

Heavy Materials

Light Materials

Based on experimentation with the material, Glass,Metal,Metal woven mesh,These three materials are more light and transparent, suitable for the facade of the elevator shaft.

In addition to brick not suitable for use as a staircase railing, concrete, steel corten,timber, can be used as a staircase material, including glass,fabric,metal woven mesh.

In order for tourists to enjoy the scenery in the elevator, glass is the best choice of elevator material. The handrail material uses more light metallic, which can make the whole access core look less thick.

Concrete

Bridge+Roof Skylights

The use of frosted glass on the bridge and roof cafe floor does not affect the downstairs light, but also provides privacy and increasing the use area of the roof.

Build structure, The use of frosted glass as a floor makes the roof easy to walk on.

There used to be barbed wire here on the roof, and people couldn't walk on the barbed wire.

Barbed wire

“Vacating

cage to change bird”

Shenzhen policies

Reduce traditional industries, develop high-tech industries, and encourage the introduction of highly educated talents.People at the bottom face unemployment.

Start the urban renewal program,actively promote the transformation of urban villages to achieve high-quality development.Migrant workers lost their cheap housing and had to leave Shenzhen

The policies was called “Vacating cage to change bird”

Renewal scale of urban villages in each district

Cornerstone of Shenzhen

The 1,044 urban villages in Shenzhen, home to 60% of the urban population, provide the first landing point for people from all over the world to pursue their dreams in Shenzhen, and they are the cornerstone of the vitality and competitiveness of the Special economic Zone

The Memorial Hall of the Urban village is designed to commemorate the migrant workers who live in the village in the city and work hard for the city. Their living environment is small and dirty, and their work is the bottom of the social labor. The village in the city is their home, but also like a bird cage to shut them in the city, they are also eager for a comfortable and spacious environment, they struggle in the city is to be able to fly out of the bird cage, enjoy freedom.

Concept

The concept of the bird cage is used in this design, implying the relationship between the building and the city and the people, who are not only the birds in the cage abandoned by the urban development, but also the solid cornerstone of the urban development.

Entrance

Open Entry

Before this building is a private house,The entrance is quite hidden.But we have now changed its function to become a public building.We need a more open entrance to welcome tourists.So I removed the posts blocking the entrance.

Entry

Distinctive and recognizable:

The entrance should be obvious and have a distinctive iconic design that people can easily identify and find. Use visible signage and directional signs so visitors can quickly locate the entrance.

Existing

Honey, is there a door ?

Dad,I see the door. Let's go inside!

Functional and Comfortable

Entrances to public buildings should be functional and comfortable:

The entrance should be provided with sunshade or rain shelter facilities to provide visitors with a comfortable entry and exit environment.

Seating, information desk and rest area are located near the entrance for visitors to rest and obtain information.

It can be used as a roof to shade the entrance from the sun and rain. Also emphasizes the entrance and adds a sense of ritual to the entrance.

The roof of the eaves forms a terrace, once again connecting the interior of the building with the traffic core,make them one,where people can rest and visit, and interact with people on the ground.

The guardrail is made of glass and set back one meter from front to back. This allows people to view the large eaves from the front without seeing the guardrail. It doesn't visually increase its volume and make it look thick

The consultation office is set outside, between the old building and the access core, which can separate various groups of people, such as the elderly, the sick and the disabled, and guide them to directly use the elevator to enter the building. Others can walk up from the main entrance.

Terrace

Terrace Eave

Increase green space

The green space can become a place for tourists to interact and relax, increasing the diversity of the tour. It can also provide shade from the heat, reduce the temperature around the building and improve air quality. It can also enhance the beauty of the building and the surrounding environment, adding natural beauty to the city.

There are 3 garden views in this tour, which are the entrance garden when entering, the roof garden on the roof, and the back garden when you get off the elevator and finish the tour.

Entrance garden

Next to the entrance, visitors can see a garden square around the access tower, where visitors can relax and wait, and children will be happy to play here.

After visiting the closed and oppressive buildings, visitors come to the roof garden, where they can sit for a while, breathe in the fresh air, relax their tired eyes and feel the breeze.

Get off the elevator to finish the tour, and when you reach the ground, you will see that the open space behind the building becomes a back garden. Visitors who come out first can also wait for their companions here.

Entrance garden

Roof garden

Back garden

Roof garden

Exploded diagram

Demolition Plan

Demolish the houses in the demolished area and add access cores, Bridges, terrace to connect with the original buildings.

Floor plans

Originally, there were two staircases from the ground floor to the basement floor, but due to the small area of the underground floor, one staircase was removed to allow more space for the underground floor to be converted into a toilet and storage room.

Floor plans

In order to enable tourists to have a better tour route in the exhibition space, some redundant walls need to be removed to make the indoor tour route more accessible.

Display Areas

Used to display all kinds of exhibits related to urban villages, including photography, posters, handicrafts, drawings, text materials, etc.

Floor plans

Look for a place to connect with the bridge on the third floor, because the lower part is a stairway area, so it is impossible to open the door on the side wall. Only the toilet area of the original building can be demolished and the walls here can be opened to get the best route.

Experience Areas

Provide interactive experiences and participatory displays, using advanced 3D holographic projection devices, allowing the audience to participate and experience the history and life of the urban village.

Floor plans

Experience & Office Areas

The level was previously a semi-open garden space, and I enclosed the sunken semi-open area at the back as an archive room. The central space was converted into an office for staff.

Staff Only

Staff Only Staff Only

Floor plans

The rooftop cafe originally had a semi-open-air metal mesh ceiling, which I added to the structure and frosted glass. Make it a usable roof that doesn't interfere with the light below.

Cafe & Gift shop

This floor structure was originally more cluttered, the space is not clear. I removed the complex walls and increased the usable space inside. Converted into a souvenir shop.Selling souvenirs, handicrafts, books, crafts, etc. related to urban village.

Floor plans

It is a small enclosed space with a round hole at the top to let in the sky light. In this space, visitors can meditate quietly, reflect on the journey, and feel the experience of the building.

Meditation space & Viewing platform