In March 2016, the Yangpu Riverside Public Space Penetration Project was in full swing. In order to forge the riverside landscape belt and open the waterfront shoreline to its urban hinterland, the tobacco warehouse near Ferry Ningguo Road is planned to be demolished. This is a six-story reinforced concrete frame slab building that was built within about 30 years and lacks both technological value and obvious architectural features. The demolition of this building seems to be without doubt due to a major road crossing underneath in planning. Besides, its huge north-south volume running across the city and the river bank severely blocks the sight of the riverside landscape.

However, the opportunity is also contained in obstacles: the huge north-south volume that causes obstruction at first glance can be transformed into a bridge connecting the city and the river bank through the mass reduction; the seemingly irreconcilable contradiction between urban roads and buildings can be solved by grabing the characteristics of the concrete structure.

In the context of revitalizing industrial buildings and limiting development, after repeated consultations with urban planning departments and municipal construction departments, it was decided to retain the building for renovation and make it as a riverside complex including a collection of municipal infrastructure, public green space and public supporting services.

In order not to affect the route of the planned riverside road, the walls of the first two floors in the middle three spans of the tobacco warehouse are tore down to meet the height and width requirements for municipal roads. This opportunity is also used to establish public transportation on the ground floor of the building, weaving it into the regional transportation network.

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Source: archdaily

Pictures by ZY Artchitectural Photography for archdaily