In the summer of 1972, when young Dong Xianghong walked into Hangzhou Iron and Steel Hot Rolled Sheet Mill, he never thought that one day, the workshop where he worked would become a fashion show, the staff rest building would become a live broadcast room, and even the bathroom and boiler room could be changed into a photography studio, and the whole factory would be transformed into a “digital creative park” step by step.
Not far away, the blast furnace, coke oven and power plant area of Hangzhou Steel will soon become a science and technology park, conference center and sports space. “Born to death!” Dong Xianggong exclaimed.
In the process of modern industrial development, a large number of unique industrial buildings and living communities have been formed in various parts of Zhejiang, which are engraved with the features of the times and bear the memory of the city. However, with the change of industrial structure and the expansion of urban scale, they inevitably decline and become industrial relics, some of which have been transformed and some of which unfortunately disappear.
Entering the era of high-quality development, urban construction has generally shifted from “large-scale incremental development” to a new stage of “stock improvement and quality transformation”. Can the scattered industrial remains of the city continue their life and have new functions? Recently, the reporter went to Hangzhou, Ningbo and other places, trying to read the intriguing spiritual temperament and the new atmosphere of cities and communities through the rough architectural appearance.
Architectural freshmen
Become a unique existence in modern cities.
From downtown Hangzhou, drive all the way to the north. Logo names such as “Tie Tie Nong”, “Hangbo Street”, “Coking Road” and “Steel Rolling Road” show a hard-core temperament completely different from Wulin Road, Gongchen Bridge, Manjuelong and other places.
A Gongshu district, half of Hangzhou’s industrial history. In the past, the heavy industry represented by Hanggang and Hanglian, and the light industry represented by Hangyimian, Zhema and Hangsilian jointly built a huge industrial system and pulled the lifeline of urban economy. In its heyday, Gongshu’s industrial output value accounted for about 60% of Hangzhou’s main urban area.
Arriving at the mid-levels, before entering Hangzhou Steel, several behemoths have jumped into view. The northwest corner is the No.1 blast furnace with a height of more than 90 meters, followed by transport rails, coke oven and cooling tower in the south, and the slightly shorter No.2 and No.3 blast furnaces in the east, as well as the material reserve building, etc. Exposed steel, mottled rust, gray-brown interwoven colors, rough material texture … all the elements are superimposed, making industrial buildings unique in modern cities.
“The value of industrial heritage is first manifested in architecture, and it also carries the city history and collective memory.” Ji Zibo, the head of Hangzhou Hanfei Enterprise Management Co., Ltd., was invited to arrange the industrial remains in Ningbo. The cause of the investigation is that in January 2018, the chimney of Changfeng Thermal Power Plant on the banks of Yongjiang River, the last industrial chimney in Ningbo city, was ready to be blasted and demolished. As soon as the news came out, it aroused the nostalgia of countless citizens and inspired the working ideas of relevant departments.
After data investigation and field investigation, it is found that some remains have disappeared, such as Xiaogang Lishan Wind Power Test Site; Some remains have not received enough attention, such as Xiangshan Hepu Tidal Power Station; Some have become dangerous buildings, such as the Navy 412 Hospital; Some have not been effectively protected and utilized due to property rights problems, such as Ningbo Fishing Vessel Factory and Ningbo Glass Factory; Some remains have been transformed and faced with the fate of demolition, such as Ningbo Transformer Factory.
These buildings distributed along rivers and lakes, especially the former sites of textile mills, fishing boat factories and Qing ‘an Guild Hall on both sides of Yongjiang River, are not only the starting point of Ningbo’s modern national industry, but also witness the bloody revolutionary years and the living memories of several generations. Up to now, there is still a ballad in Ningbo that is widely spread: “The spindle of Hefeng Yarn Factory rings, the ash of Taifeng flour rises, the lantern of Yongyao power generation lights up, Tongliyuan squeezes oil and sets off firecrackers, and three and a half chimneys are pitiful.” “Protecting and utilizing industrial remains is not only a measure to inherit history and culture, but also conducive to breaking through the dilemma of’ one thousand cities’ and creating a distinctive urban landscape.” Ji Zibo said.
“Most of the banks of the Yongjiang River are green plants, and a piece of industrial buildings is definitely a scarce resource. But it’s embarrassing to say that compared with the booming of the old Bund on the west bank, the east bank of the Yongjiang River is deserted and dilapidated. ” Zheng Lin, a retired teacher in Ningbo who lives in this area, told reporters that in the past, because the administrative jurisdiction belonged to two streets, the nature of land property rights was complicated, and many old factories along the Yangtze River fell into disrepair.
The value of the industry and the surrounding environment have inspired the determination of local change. In March last year, Ningbo local state-owned enterprises and social capital jointly set up a commercial management company, and started the “Shili Jiangfeng” renovation project-demolishing four walls between Henggen factory areas, breaking through the broken road in one fell swoop, and connecting the buildings into a line; The warehouse and office building of Hefeng Yarn Factory are as old as ever; At the junction of No.715 Military Factory and Fishing Vessel Factory, keep the texture of streets and alleys, and reproduce the memory of fireworks in the market; The lawn, ginkgo greenway, glass house and other elements “fit in with each other”, and the transportation tracks, riverside freighters, etc. are intertwined into a new landscape … With the rebirth of buildings, the east bank of Yongjiang River takes on a new look.
In recent years, in addition to large-scale renovation, small-scale and gradual micro-renovation of industrial remains has also been highly praised by various places. For example, in Hangzhou Iron and Steel Sheet Plant, the bathhouse has a sunken center and a stepped structure around it. Tiles are only attached to the edges, and there is still a smell of water vapor between breaths. The production workshop keeps the red brick exterior wall and the 11.5-meter-high appearance, and adds industrial cranes, fashion booths and other elements inside, faithfully showing the different states of “retention” and “addition”, which is especially favored by photographers.
Ningbo online celebrity, located at No.1002 Songjiang Middle Road, “Dream Hutong”, has a three-story building enclosing the courtyard structure, exposed reinforced concrete beams and columns, and the same appearance as the White Swan Towel Factory was built in 1996. The newly chiseled patio in the northeast corner, the top of the glass slope, and the seven beech trees moved from Fenghua also reveal the ingenuity of modern design.
At the turn of spring and summer, the bright sunshine falls from the patio, and the branches and leaves of beech trees form mottled light and shadow on the ground, which seems to indicate the hope of the new life of the old factory building.
Format replacement
Find the connection point with the needs of urban life.
“Compared with renovation, new construction is much easier.” During the interview, many witnesses of the renovation project expressed their feelings. Indeed, most of the industrial remains are located near mountains and rivers, or in important cities, while the industrial buildings themselves cover a vast area, with tall factory buildings and few floors, which not only increases the difficulty of renovation, but also greatly limits the way of subsequent utilization.
For example, when Ningbo White Swan Towel Factory, which covers an area of only 11 mu, was transformed into a “dream alley”, it cost more than 10 million yuan to reinforce and transform the light main structure.
“If you can’t find a new way of development, the repaired building may decline again.” Before becoming the person in charge of the operation of “Dream Hutong”, Chen Junqiao passed by here almost every day, witnessing with his own eyes the process that the towel factory stopped production in 2018, the factory area became increasingly deserted, and it became a express stacking point. “The key to making the industrial remains’ live’ in the present is to find the connection point between it and the needs of modern life, inject new functions into old factories, and replace old industries with new formats.”
To this end, she named the factory “Dream Hutong”. First, the meaning of “bringing” textile products is to preserve the industrial memory of towel production by developing the gift of accompanying hands; second, the meaning of “block with dreams” is to build this into a new space for young people to start businesses and live and consume.
Today, this building makes people linger-the open yard, where young people who skateboard and shoot on the street gather; The two factories are divided into spaces ranging from 40 to 600 square meters, with exhibition halls and shops in the east and north, and restaurants and studios in the west. Since it was put into operation in September last year, 46 projects have been signed, with an occupancy rate of 92%, from home to green plants, from tailor-made suits shops to ski clubs, from cat-care halls to small camping bases, to satisfy people’s imagination of a better life one by one.
“As a matter of fact, there have been many arguments about the use of industrial heritage-the rise of large-scale cultural and creative fever has also experienced homogenization problems.” The brand leader of Xintiandi Group believes that, no matter whether it is building renovation or format implantation, the regeneration of industrial space, it is necessary to grasp individuality and imagination, and it is also necessary to adapt to local conditions and local materials, so as to create new value.
Today, Xintiandi, Dongxin Street, Gongshu District, Hangzhou, which is a land of gold, was once the location of Hangzhou Heavy Machinery Factory. In 2007, the enterprise moved, leaving a large-scale industrial factory. Demolition and reconstruction will undoubtedly bring high profits, but it will also destroy the original texture and collective memory of the city.
Therefore, after careful consideration, Dongxin Street keeps four buildings, including smelting workshop and assembly workshop, showing the jagged factory slope, gantry crane, transport locomotive and other elements, and carefully dismantling unnecessary components such as dormitory buildings. In the process of industrial placement, Xintiandi Group was introduced locally. They carefully choose the cultural performing arts format to help transform the industrial heritage into a new entertainment landmark, which can not only support the surrounding office buildings, commercial and residential apartments, but also achieve differentiated competition.
Over the past two years, with the putting into operation of Sun Theater, etc., four buildings are like four silver needles, activating the industrial development potential. In the evening, when the lights are on, residents and tourists come in droves, and the curtain of the performance show opens simultaneously with the prelude of nightlife. It is reported that under the influence of the epidemic, the occupancy rate of office buildings in this region is still rising against the trend in 2021, and the newly added area ranks first in Hangzhou.
Not far from here, Hangzhou Silk Printing and Dyeing Joint Factory on the bank of Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal has turned into a new coordinate of literature and art, and won the favor of creative enterprises such as architectural design and fashion design; Next to Xixi Wetland, Post and Telecommunications 522 Factory has been transformed into Dongxinhe Chuangyuan, with 61 low-density low-rise buildings and an open space constructed by more than 1,000 trees, attracting many furniture stores and art exhibition halls, and becoming a well-known slow living area in Hangzhou; Hangzhou Oxygen Factory with strong Bauhaus style has become the venue of Hangzhou International Fashion Week, ADM Life Innovation Exhibition, etc., leading the new trend of the city …
In the replacement room, fresh breath replaced the roaring of machines, and the once prosperous and then silent land became lively again.
Community renewal
Rehabilitation of Community Functions to Promote Regional Sustainable Development
“The earliest future community in Hangzhou may be in Hangzhou Steel.” When telling reporters about the transformation plan, Chen Chong, who was transformed from a steel worker to the head of the operation department of Hangzhou Steel Banshan Base Park, used a hot word in the field of urban renewal.
It is called “community” because in the past decades, the former Mid-levels Steel Base, which covers an area of more than 4,400 mu, is not only a production base, but also a living space for tens of thousands of employees. In addition to blast furnace, coke oven, etc., there are offices, residences, electric power facilities and other areas, which are urban comprehensive functional units integrating employment, neighborhood, service, governance and other scenes.
But all this came to an abrupt end when it was shut down in 2015. Today, the traffic roads here are dilapidated, the environment is not good, and the supporting facilities are incomplete, which has become a “depression” for the development of Gongshu and even Hangzhou. It is a great challenge how to repair the community function on the basis of retaining the historical memory, and then promote the renewal and development of the whole area.
“The protection and utilization of industrial remains is not only the renovation of buildings and industries, it is first related to space, but not limited to the space itself. It is a comprehensive update of infrastructure, public services and lifestyle.” According to the person in charge of Xintiandi brand, during the renovation of heavy machinery factory, they didn’t “repair buildings on buildings”, adding pedestrian streets, air corridors, starlight squares, etc. between buildings, connecting old factory buildings with office buildings and shopping malls, and opening a dialogue channel between industrial relics and modern cities. Today, these four old factories have become a brand-new part of urban leisure and entertainment functions.
On the east bank of Yongjiang River, after the completion of the first phase of “Shili Jiangfeng” project, Zhang Mingxing, the head of Haisi Zhiyuan Commercial Management Company, decided to press the “pause button” and rethink the future of the community. “Before, 200 shops had settled in, and the average daily traffic exceeded 80,000 person-times during peak hours, but a single function was obviously not conducive to regional sustainable development.”
Therefore, in the second phase of the project, in addition to the gourmet and cultural creation blocks, Zhang Mingxing is also preparing to revitalize the space such as military factory and fishing boat factory, and introduce music venues, flowers and birds and cute pet markets, etc., so as to create the “Sanjiangkou City that never sleeps” with industrial flavor, market style and modern trend. In the future, this brand-new area will interact with the surrounding Hefeng Creative Plaza, Ningbo Book City and other “time-sharing” areas, and grow into a dynamic community that will last for 24 hours.
Looking through Hangzhou Steel’s blueprint, the reporter saw a bigger dream. At the 1,743-mu mid-level base in Hangzhou, the sheet factory is turning into a cultural and creative park, the power plant into a science and technology park, and two super-large data centers have been built in the original office area.
The remaining 2,700-mu park will be led by Hangzhou Canal Group to promote community regeneration based on heritage protection. The remaining three blast furnaces are transformed into fashion trend release centers and public service centers; The center of the project, a large lawn of about 45,000 square meters, will become a venue for large-scale cultural activities such as music festivals and art carnivals; Industrial remains such as coke oven, gas holder and industrial workshop will become silo hotels, art galleries and restaurants with industrial characteristics. Followed by the channel link and darning project, all functions are integrated and amplified, and finally an open and diverse emerging park is built.
“At present, the blanking project has been completed, soil treatment is underway, and the blast furnace and lawn areas are also stepping up construction.” Guo Zhiwei, a staff member of Hangzhou Canal Chenxiang Company, said that since the beginning of the year, they have received consultations from organizers such as Strawberry Music Festival and Guochao Music Festival, which accelerated the release of regional heat and raised their attention.
Of course, observing the whole province, the activation and utilization of industrial remains are still facing difficulties. Many building property rights are complicated, and it is not easy to introduce social capital. In addition, most of the existing engineering technical standards are aimed at new buildings, and the construction according to the current standards may not be conducive to the protection of historical buildings, but if the standards are not implemented, it will be difficult to pass the acceptance after repair. During the interview, many enterprises engaged in the protection and renewal of industrial relics reported that the capital investment in the early stage of renovation and transformation was large and the payback period was long, especially the tourism, cultural and creative industries were hit by the epidemic, and they looked forward to stronger policy support and guidance.
Let the industrial remains “live” in the present, which is a respect for history and an opportunity for the city.