The revitalization project of Hangzhou LOFT49 is located along the Grand Canal in Hangzhou. Its history dates back to the Hangzhou Chemical Fiber Factory, established in 1958, after which the complex was transformed into one of the city's first creative industry parks in 2003.
Under the direction of Peidong Zhu, co-founder and lead architect of line+ studio, the project aims to reactivate outdated factory buildings in a densely built urban core. The goal is to combine the preservation of industrial heritage, urban regeneration, and modern lifestyles.
Inspired by Kintsugi art, the project proposes the concept of 'Urban Jingshan'. This approach views the cracks and incompleteness of the city not as conditions to be eliminated, but as a basis for design. The implementation of a clear and heterogeneous system reactivates, reuses, and enhances the sensitivity of the urban system, which had become partially inefficient. Thus, industrial heritage is freed from a static state of preservation and transforms into a new, continuously functioning urban interface.
The project preserves two iconic industrial buildings at the center of the site: Building 10, a large workshop built in 1987, and Building 6, a double-height production workshop erected in 1990. New building volumes are placed around the perimeter of the site, freeing up the internal ground floor for public space. Three plazas—east, central, and west—along with a three-dimensional pedestrian system reorganize the park's openness and accessibility.
The facade of Building 10 is made open; thanks to folding gates and a common atrium, it becomes an urban interface that can be crossed, used, and activated during public events. Structurally, Building 10 retains its original exterior walls, which have been reinforced with carbon fiber and new buttress columns. Building 6, in turn, employs a 'preserve structure, update envelope' strategy.
Regarding materials, shades of red of varying saturation are integrated into the existing system as elements of Jingshan: patinated steel, glazed terracotta panels, and red steel structures are used respectively to reinforce preserved buildings, facades of new volumes, and added internal structures.
The new office buildings are situated around the perimeter of the site in a windmill-like configuration. Although they occupy about 90,000 square meters of new construction, this arrangement prevents the overloading of historical interior spaces. The volumes are fragmented into units closer to pedestrian scale, creating flexible floors and rental spaces that can adapt for creative offices, brand headquarters, and mixed commercial programs.
The updated LOFT49 integrates offices, retail, exhibitions, product presentations, screenings, and daily public activities. The former closed industrial complex is transforming into an open, hybrid urban square that is constantly functioning.
The initiative known as 'Sugar House+', launched in 2022, aims to recover the latent potential of an old state-owned sugar refinery located in Yangshuo. This site underwent restoration between 2013 and 2017, led by architect Zhao Chongxin, while Dong Gong finalized the guest rooms and overall organization, establishing the spatial foundation of the hotel.
The project integrates smaller new structures that function as connection points for dispersed and underutilized spaces. Included elements are the Waterside Pavilion, the Hillside Pavilion, a DJ booth, and the Qushui Restaurant, which was added later.
The Waterside Pavilion is positioned next to the water, on the north side of the courtyard, featuring an extensive horizontal projection. This structure marks the historical entrance of the sugar refinery and provides a visual support for the mountains in the background. Its notable design has a large cantilever with only 6 cm thickness, allowing a balance between visual lightness and structural rigor, resulting in a delicate and agile appearance. When viewed along the central axis of the refinery, the horizontal extension of this pavilion establishes a dialogue with the mountains rising in the background plane.
Located at the southern base of the hill, beneath the climbing wall, the Hillside Pavilion, together with the Qushui Restaurant, the Rumu Fire Pit outdoor fireplace, and the pump house, forms a linear cluster along the slope. This structure was implemented on a platform surrounded by trees, including a type of cinnamon tree (*Cinnamomum japonicum*) at the rear right. The project follows the contour of the tree, embracing the terrain with a curved shape and using shade as natural protection, while a free resting area provides panoramic views toward the cliff. A semicircular window facing the main building directs the gaze towards the Karst Garden and the main edifice, echoing the limestone cave with a bamboo structure and creating a dialogue with the central architecture. The Hillside Pavilion serves to anchor the topographical continuity between the grassy area and the climbing zone in a specific way.
The DJ booth occupies the central interior space of Bar 1969, which was adapted from the old pressing workshop. Although the location retains three original floor levels, a glass platform covered the damaged areas, and the juice extraction pit was leveled, leading to the loss of much of the original industrial texture. Like the pavilions, the DJ booth is molded in monolithic concrete and suspended over the foundations of the pressing equipment, its dimensions adjusted to the width of the pressing channel. Taking advantage of internal level differences, the booth was conceived as a set of multiple floor levels to support various functions. While occupying the former space of the machinery, it maintains a subtle relationship between new furniture and industrial vestiges; its sculptural form seems to emerge from the ruins, conveying a feeling that is simultaneously historical and contemporary.
Through this discreet intervention with the structures, the 'Sugar House+' project managed to reveal the spatial potential of the site, consolidate the operational scenarios of the hotel, and intensify the spatial tension between the natural landscape and the industrial legacy, promoting spatial complementarity and improving the character of the existing structure.
The Shanghai Qiyuan Experimental Primary School, which is the only chess-specialized institution in the city of Shanghai, required expansion due to its growth. The original physical space became insufficient to meet the school's operational demands.
In response to this need, the Jing'an District government decided to build a new campus during the urban revitalization process in the Suhewan area.
The land designated for the new construction has clearly defined boundaries: to the north is an established residential community, and to the east is the Xiangdong Secondary School. The areas located to the west and south of the site are reserved for future development projects.
PANE, a brand that emerged from a reassessment of daily footwear, combines traditional artisanal techniques and high-quality materials with sophisticated and intellectual lines. The goal is to produce durable items that harmonize classic style with contemporary style.
The brand's latest concept store is located in Phase II of Shenzhen Bay. This new space aims to develop an architectural language that is ecologically sustainable, directly inspired by PANE's own cultural DNA.
