Renovation of the Plant Building of Nantou Old Town / CM Design

Renovation of the Plant Building of Nantou Old Town / CM Design - Exterior Photography, Facade
© Chao Zhang

Renovation of the Plant Building of Nantou Old Town / CM Design - Exterior Photography, FacadeRenovation of the Plant Building of Nantou Old Town / CM Design - Exterior PhotographyRenovation of the Plant Building of Nantou Old Town / CM Design - Exterior PhotographyRenovation of the Plant Building of Nantou Old Town / CM Design - Exterior PhotographyRenovation of the Plant Building of Nantou Old Town / CM Design - More Images+ 17

Shenzhen, China
  • Design Team: Danping Chen, Jun Liao, Heng Yang, Zhen Wang, Musen Li, Shihua Long, Yingchuan Zhong, Mingming Yao
  • Model: Shihua Long, Huichun Qiu
  • Developer: Bureau of Public Works of Shenzhen Municipality Nanshan District, Shenzhen Vanke
  • Project Planning And Design Management: Urban Research Institute of China Vanke, vaLue Design
  • Project Planning And Design Management Team: Jinghui Deng, Yufei Pei, Zhen Wang, Ruiqing Shen
  • Construction Management Team: Xi Wang, JinQiang Li, Yufan Yu, Zuliang Huang, Gaoyang Lin
  • Technical Coordination And Construction Drawing Design: Shenzhen Bowan Architecture Design Institute
  • Construction Drawing Design Team: Yanhua Li, Xuewen Xu, Chongyang Wan, Jiahui Du, Hua Lin, Guangyao Luo, Lei Xiao
  • City: Shenzhen
  • Country: China
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Renovation of the Plant Building of Nantou Old Town / CM Design - Exterior Photography
© Chao Zhang

Text description provided by the architects. The Plant Building of Nantou Old Town was built in 1980s, locates in the middle of Zhongshan South Street, eastside of the pocket garden. The first floor of the building served as stores, and the second floor and above were used as residential space. The building was known as one of the most typical residential buildings in the old town. It has the masonry-concrete structure and water-washed sandstone façade, which is very common in the urban village buildings. However, with the rich plants on the terrace raised by its owner, the building also shows a unique character of “a green box inside ten thousands of buildings”. Following the 2017 UABB, a new mega renovation has been carried out in Nantou Old Town, leading by Bureau of Public Works of Shenzhen Municipality Nanshan District and Shenzhen Vanke Development Ltd. In this renovation, one of the commissions accepted by CM from Urban Research Institute of China Vanke, was to establish a new image for the plant building.

Renovation of the Plant Building of Nantou Old Town / CM Design - Exterior Photography
© Chao Zhang
Renovation of the Plant Building of Nantou Old Town / CM Design - Interior Photography
Model. Image Courtesy of CM Design
Renovation of the Plant Building of Nantou Old Town / CM Design - Exterior Photography
© Chao Zhang

As the renovation progressed, the street overlapped a series of completely different building facades and spaces. In this context, CM seeks to give a new open and clear feature to the plant building, reconstructing the mutual infiltration of indoor and outdoor spaces and the interaction with the street. Instead of displaying traditional flat image of street stores, 350mm diameter curved glass continuously wrapped the first floor to form an interface of transparency and interactivity, creating a dramatic difference from the surroundings, and reconnecting the interior space with the old town.

Renovation of the Plant Building of Nantou Old Town / CM Design - Image 14 of 22
Sectional perspective
Renovation of the Plant Building of Nantou Old Town / CM Design - Exterior Photography, Facade
© Chao Zhang

For buildings on the second floor and above, what we think the most meaningful in the renovation is not just about retaining——living space and owner’s lifestyle have not been changed, their love for plants could also be sustained——but a design that similar to "not design" can strengthen the character of a green box on the roof, contributing the only rising forest to the high-density urban village, and making it exceedingly precious.

Renovation of the Plant Building of Nantou Old Town / CM Design - Exterior Photography
© Chao Zhang

The green plants on the second and third floor contrast the transparent pure curved glass on the first floor. Thick cornice with water-washed sandstone overhanging the street separates the two layers of open public space along the street and private living space above, strengthening the entrance and the architectural interface as well as providing sun and rain protection.

Renovation of the Plant Building of Nantou Old Town / CM Design - Interior Photography
© Chao Zhang
Renovation of the Plant Building of Nantou Old Town / CM Design - Exterior Photography, Facade
© Chao Zhang

The renovation of Nantou Old Town depicts the rich and diversified urban life and cultural connotation in various stages of Shenzhen's history, showing the development context of the historical old town and contemporary city. The Plant Building has found its own identity and memory in the homogeneous architecture and city types. It is a juxtaposition of the building and garden, a collage of architectural spaces of different ages, and a dialogue about new and old materials as well as construction methods. In future, the first floor will be placed in the street as a cultural and art exhibition space, while the second floor shows a symbiotic picture of urban life hidden in the city and the garden. The scenery of diversification just reflects the inclusiveness and shareness of the renovation of the old town.

Renovation of the Plant Building of Nantou Old Town / CM Design - Exterior Photography
© Chao Zhang

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Project location

Address:Nanshan District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China

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Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
About this office
Cite: "Renovation of the Plant Building of Nantou Old Town / CM Design" 10 Sep 2020. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/947257/renovation-of-the-plant-building-of-nantou-old-town-cm-design> ISSN 0719-8884

© Chao Zhang

南头古城植物楼 / 厘米制造

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