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Architects: FMD
- Area: 780 m²
- Year: 2019
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Photographs:Qingshan Wu
Urban/Village
Xiangyang Village of Jiading District is located at the most western edge of Shanghai. This village faces the borer of Kunshan City in Jiangsu Province. Because of this unique geographic location, Xiangyang Village consists of a variety of farmland and green area’s. Meanwhile the Jiangsu’s boundary, which is only one street away, is highly urbanized because it’s the closest area of Jiangsu near Shanghai.
In 2018, ten of the most beautiful villages and one urban Village in Shanghai’s industry area were selected to participate into a pilot project which would revitalize these area’s rigorous. Xiangyang was one of these villages and therefore started the new development. The government of Xiangyang Village and Vanke invited : FMD, YeAs, MIX and HXCM, to design a reception center, a cafe, a communal village center, an office building and an agricultural exhibition center. These five buildings have all been completed and are in use.
Inside/Outside
FMD renovated the Rice Drying Factory to an agricultural exhibition center. The building is located outside the village in the middle of a large ricefield and is the most tallest building in it’s direct surrounding. Every year this factory is essential in processing the rice in the fields around the village. As a typical agricultural building, the internal layout has been designed with the methology ‘form follows’ function. The building is characterized by a big rigid concrete construction and looks modernistic with a grand interior space.
Our first steps in the design process where to go back to the essence of function as a rice drying factory by removing all unnecessary elements. FMD focused in this proces both on interior and exterior. The building became as the original was build a factory again. In the second stage of the design we added a shape on top of the factory building which wrapped as a continuous surface around the existing building. This surface has been designed to lead the visitors from the down in the fields to several platforms provides spaces for a cariety of activities, at the same time standing on the factory give the visitor a bride view of the farm landscape this in strong contrast with the dense cities on the backgrounf\g.
Heavy/ Light
In order to created a dialogue between the existing factory and the new platform, FMD designed the new shape visually as light weighted as possible. The supporting system of herringbone steel structure was selected as the final structural scheme, taking into account the original structural firmness, the limitations of rural construction technology and the convenience of construction. Two groups of V-shaped diagonal pillars support the main staircase in the continuous surface, achieving a floating effect.
We hope through the renovation to provide a gathering point for the activities for the farmers who work in and around the factory. We hope as well that this development will contribute as a starting point for the beautification and revitalization of the countryside.
