DNA Architects

Brown Sugar Factory

BROWN SUGAR FACTORY

DnA

Brown Sugar Factory
© Ziling Wang

ARCHITECTS
DnA

CLIENT
Government of Zhangxi Village, Songyang County

LIGHTING DESIGN
Zhang Xin Studio, Architecture Department of Tsinghua University

PHOTOGRAPHS
Ziling Wang, Dan Han

AREA
1230 m²

YEAR
2016

LOCATION
Lishui, China

CATEGORY
Factory, Community Center

Brown Sugar Factory
© Ziling Wang
Brown Sugar Factory
© Ziling Wang
Brown Sugar Factory
© Ziling Wang

Text description provided by architect.

The village of Xing is located on the central level of the Songyin River. 

The region is important for the cultivation of sugarcane and the production of brown sugar, which is also the village’s primary source of income.

Brown Sugar Factory
© Ziling Wang
Brown Sugar Factory
© Ziling Wang

The new community building is located on the edge of the village, at the transition to fields used for agriculture, and replaces private workrooms, which no longer satisfied technical requirements.

It consists of several building elements, which accommodate different functions and are connected to each other by corridors.

Brown Sugar Factory
© Ziling Wang
Brown Sugar Factory
© Ziling Wang

The completely transparent ground floor links the work zones to the fields and the neighbouring village structure.

The main room with the ovens is, however, actively used for sugar production only in the three winter months between October and December.

Brown Sugar Factory
© Ziling Wang
Brown Sugar Factory
© Ziling Wang
Brown Sugar Factory
© Ziling Wang

It was therefore important to design the building in such a way that the village community can use it for other activities.

Older inhabitants meet there during the day for tea, and films are shown or the local puppet theatre gives performances in the evening.

The building has therefore given rise to a new sociocultural life, which assists in defining its identity anew.

Brown Sugar Factory
© Ziling Wang
Brown Sugar Factory
© Ziling Wang

The transparency between the different building elements and the unobstructed view of the processes involved in the production of brown sugar also make the building an attraction for visitors.

The reduced materiality of bricks, steel construction, glass, and corrugated sheet metal creates a workroom that takes the cultural concerns of the village community into consideration.

As an expression of contemporary production and as a social meeting place and space for culture, the architecture shapes the social community in the village in a sustainable way.

Brown Sugar Factory
© Ziling Wang
Brown Sugar Factory
© Ziling Wang

Here, the village’s self-conception takes on a new form beyond traditional concepts.


Brown Sugar Factory
© Dan Han
Brown Sugar Factory
© Dan Han
Brown Sugar Factory
© Ziling Wang
Brown Sugar Factory
© Ziling Wang


Brown Sugar Factory
© Ziling Wang
Brown Sugar Factory
© Ziling Wang
Brown Sugar Factory
© Ziling Wang
Brown Sugar Factory
Spatial Analysis


Brown Sugar Factory
West Elevation
Brown Sugar Factory
East Elevation


Brown Sugar Factory
Section
Brown Sugar Factory
Section


Brown Sugar Factory
Spatial Configuration - Admin Area
Brown Sugar Factory
Spatial Configuration - Production Area
Brown Sugar Factory
Spatial Configuration - Recreation Area
Brown Sugar Factory
GIF


Brown Sugar Factory
Axonometric - Program And Circulation
Brown Sugar Factory
Ground Floor Plan

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