Glocal West Gate in Shanghai, China by 100architects

Article source: 100architects 

Competition by invitation organized by the local Government of Jiading, in which their aim was to renovate the traditional West Gate to downtown Jiading.

Occupied by a local wet street market, the West Gate has been loosing over time the cultural relevance and significance that had on the past.

The new proposal was intended not only to bring back the relevance of all this cultural heritage, but also reactivate the area by the injection of commercial activity.

Image Courtesy © 100architects

• Architects: 100architects
• Project: Glocal West Gate
• Location: Shanghai, China

Image Courtesy © 100architects

The total area of the renovation is 5950 m², in which we aimed to identify the cultural DNA of the area and to address and highlight it through our design and program, in order to provide a new scenario for its reborn, passing on its heritage.

As well as the cultural intangibles, such as the craftsmanship, the teaching tradition, etc, define a NON-MATERIAL HERITAGE of Jiading, we found that there are also few tangible elements that generate the MATERIAL HERITAGE of the area. Our aim then was to identify those tangible elements and highlight them in our proposal in order to keep the essentials, to keep the identity while modernizing it.

Image Courtesy © 100architects

The proposal can be summarized as a cumulative process of several keypoints based on the idea of preserving the old & traditional soul while embracing new & contemporary solutions.

1. Preserving the key buildings, the most significant ones & kept in better conditions, in order to preserve the memory of the past settlement.

2. Preserving the old street pathway and materials, as the footprint that carries the soul of the old street.

3. Taking advantage of characteristic elements of the site, such as the waterfront, and the patios, in order to enhance the way visitors experience the public space.

Image Courtesy © 100architects

Image Courtesy © 100architects

4. Creating an alternative elevated pathway on the 2nd floor, which is the most important innovation with regard to the previous existing situation, increasing the linear meters of retail + cultural spaces while boosting the perception of the surrounding area, visually striking due to its different color and materiality, providing strength and personality to the architectural proposal. It is both, an aesthetical and a commercial strategic improvement.

Image Courtesy © 100architects

Image Courtesy © 100architects

5. Introducing a platform for an alternative type of cultural retail, workshops, galleries, etc…, which will culturally enrich & complement the regular retail scheme.

6. Inserting a big & striking featured public space right in the middle of the street, an object for the society, thought & designed to encourage social interactions, contact & relationships among people. A place to sit, talk, share, teach, learn, rest, etc…

Image Courtesy © 100architects

Image Courtesy © 100architects

Image Courtesy © 100architects

Image Courtesy © 100architects

Tags: China, Shanghai

Category: public spaces

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