Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory

Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Haiting Sun

RENOVATION OF NANJING COMBAT MACHINERY FACTORY

Mix Architecture

CLIENTS
Nanjing Construction Machinery Works, Co, Ltd.

STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT
Shanghai Wilderness Structural Des. Firm Inc.

INTERN
Suxuan Zhang, Bo Dong, Shuyi Li

DESIGN TEAM
Ziye Wu, Suning Zhou, Haoran Yin, Renjiao Shen, Bin Peng, Ke Yang, Tao Tang, Daoyuan Zhu

LANDSCAPE AND PLANNING DESIGN
Ziye Wu, Renjiao Shen, Haoran Yin, Bin Peng

LIGHTING CONSULTANT
Lumia Lab

CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS
Nanjing Xinghua Architecture Design And Research Institute Co, Ltd.

LOGO DESIGN
Nanjing Shiye Design Club

CONSTRUCTION TEAM(LANDSCAPE)
Nanjing Qiancai Construction Engineering Co.ltd

CONSTRUCTION TEAM (ARCHITECTURE)
Nanjing Qiancai Construction Engineering Co.ltd

LANDSCAPE CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS
Nanjing 2nd Architecture Design Institute Company

CONSTRUCTION TEAM(F16 RED HOUSE)
Betonbau

PHOTOGRAPHS
Haiting Sun, Xiaobin Lv, Arch-exist

AREA
11224 M²

YEAR
2023

LOCATION
Nanjing, China

TYPE
Office Buildings, Renovation

Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory is located on the west side of Hongshan in the north of the city and is nearby the Nanjing Railway Station. The factory was built in the 1950s.

Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Xiaobin Lv
Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Xiaobin Lv

With the expansion of the city and industrial development, the production department moved out, which leads to the idling of the original factory. .

Around 2006, people tried to renew the factory, hoping to reopen it as the creative industrial center. However, for some reason, the building failed to attract people’s attention even though it is renewed

Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Xiaobin Lv
Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Haiting Sun

After the reconstruction, new walls were built, bricks were paved, and the whole building was painted, which hides industrial memory.

In the past 20 years, the vegetation gradually spreads to the factory area, trying to cover the facade of the factory.

Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Arch-exist
Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Haiting Sun

The factory is corroding by nature, standing at the edge of the community, and forgotten by the people and city.

At the end of 2020, the owner entrusted MIX Architecture to renovate and update the factory, hoping to make it a composite emerging park with an office as the main body.

Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Haiting Sun
Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Arch-exist

Besides protecting the existing trees, architects need to show the history of the building and make the renovated building able to follow the language of the city.

During the design process, we were inspired by the most attractive characteristic of the original building, which is the red brick wall.

Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Xiaobin Lv
Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Haiting Sun

Renovating the park in a serious but casual way. We think the main characteristic of the factory is “red”.

The reasons are complex but simple. First, the factory locates on the west side of Hongshan. In Chinese “hong” means red.

Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Xiaobin Lv
Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Arch-exist

Second, the factory was established around the 1950s, people prefer to call the memory in that period “red memory”.

Third, in some sense, the red brick building could be considered a “red building”.

Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Xiaobin Lv
Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Xiaobin Lv

After consideration, Mix Architecture decides to use red bricks, red concrete blocks, red terrazzos, and red face bricks as the main material of the building.

Those materials come from different periods, standing for the different construction methods.

Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Haiting Sun
Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Haiting Sun

After the renovation, the park could follow the language of the city better in a complete and clear way.

Reshaping people’s memory of the factory in a familiar and unfamiliar way.

Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Arch-exist
Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Xiaobin Lv
Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory

After deciding on the material of the park, the next goal is to enhance the uniqueness of each building in the park and establish the relationship between humans and nature.

The position of the wall and the different rhythm in each space inspires the following design process.

The low courtyard wall has been placed with the on-site vegetation, separating the public space from the individual space.

Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Haiting Sun
Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Xiaobin Lv

It eliminates the height difference of the site, fills the gap between the buildings, and gives each building unique space under the premise of the integrity of the site.

The solid and substantial wall is an important part to guide people from the road to gradually walk into the zone and enter the interior space.

Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Xiaobin Lv
Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Xiaobin Lv

The continuity of indoor and outdoor spaces provides a complete experience. Each building has a window extending to the surrounding mountain or nature.

When visitors enter the building, the strong and thick red color gradually substitutes nature.

Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Xiaobin Lv
Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Haiting Sun

Generally, Mix Architecture wants people to understand the renovated building through three steps —acknowledging, feeling, and experiencing.

The architecture becomes a connector, using the changes of space and materials, trying to dialogue with the city, historic architectural buildings, and nature on different levels, which connects the city, history, and nature together.

Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Haiting Sun
Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Xiaobin Lv

People will know the existence of the building first. While walking around the building, visitors will notice the historic atmosphere through the materials.

After entering the building, visitors will be attracted by the scenery outside windows and build connections with nature eventually.

Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Arch-exist


Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Xiaobin Lv
Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Xiaobin Lv
Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Haiting Sun
Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Haiting Sun
Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Haiting Sun
Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Haiting Sun
Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Haiting Sun
Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
© Haiting Sun


Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
Section 01
Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
Section 02
Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
Section 03
Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
Section 04
Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
Section 05
Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
Section 06
Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
Section 07
Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
Section 08
Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
Section 09
Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
Perspective section


Renovation Of Nanjing Combat Machinery Factory
Plan - Site