In Shanghai, MVRDV’s recent project has transformed a former industrial site into a new cultural and leisure hub. The GATE M West Bund Dream Centre revitalises a disused area by integrating existing structures into a cohesive urban space, contributing to Shanghai’s series of cultural developments along the West Bund. The project establishes a new identity for the complex through the addition of orange circulation elements.
Preserving Industrial Heritage
The site was formerly home to the Shanghai Cement Factory, once one of the largest in Asia. Its relocation was part of the city's initiative to open up the banks of the Huangpu River to public use. Before MVRDV’s involvement, the site featured a mix of large industrial buildings and unfinished structures from a previous development attempt.
Adaptive Reuse and Material Contrast
MVRDV’s work included the masterplan for the entire site and the architectural design for the southern half, including the central M Factory. Atelier Deshaus designed the commercial buildings to the north, while Schmidt Hammer Lassen was responsible for the West Bund Dome Art Centre and the new Shanghai West Bund Theatre.
The design team opted to work with the existing structures, aiming to preserve their historical context. The industrial silos and factory buildings serve as focal points for the new zone. The addition of external orange staircases and elevator shafts contrasts these raw concrete forms. The facades on the more recent structures were completed with neutral tones and glass infill, which highlights the original concrete and steel truss framework of the buildings.
The M Factory building now houses BLOOMARKET, which combines a food market with a dining experience on its lower floor. The upper floor, accessed via a re-purposed conveyor belt structure, is a large, open cultural space. One of the silos has been adapted into a rock-climbing center, featuring orange climbing routes and viewing platforms.
The newer, unfinished structures were completed as shops, restaurants, and hotels. These buildings have neutral facades and green roofs, and they frame the public space. The landscape design, by Field Operations, capitalises on the waterfront location.
New Urban Destination
The GATE M West Bund Dream Center provides an active public space for a section of the riverbank that was previously inaccessible. The transformation has garnered awards, including the China Urban Renewal Annual Award and the Shanghai Excellent Urban Regeneration Projects Awards. The project demonstrates a model of urban renewal that reuses existing infrastructure to meet the needs of a growing city.
This project is an example of the broader trend of converting industrial sites for new urban purposes. MVRDV's portfolio includes other projects of this nature, such as the transformation of a concrete factory into a cultural campus at Rockmagneten. These projects highlight the value of adaptive reuse in developing urban environments and serving communities.
Team:
Architect: MVRDV
Founding Partner in charge: Jacob van Rijs
Partner: Wenchian Shi
Design Team: Kyo Suk Lee, Peter Chang, Sredej Bunnag, Luca Xu, Shanshan Wu, Yunxi Guo, Albert Parfonov, Amanda Galiana Ortega, Americo Iannazzone, Dorota Kaczmarek, Echo Zhai, Edvan Ardianto, Haocheng Yang, Jiameng Li, Jiani You, Kevin Zhao, Kristina Knauf, Meng Yang, Ming Kong, Martin Chen, Sen Yang, Shushen Zhang, Siyi Pan, Steven Smit, Tanja Dubbelaar, Xiaoliang Yu, Yayun Liu, Yihong Chen, Evan O'Sullivan, Peilu Chen
Visualisations: Antonio Luca Coco, Jaroslaw Jeda, Luca Piattelli, Marco Fabri, Stefania Trozzi
Director MVRDV Shanghai: Peter Chang
Copyright: MVRDV Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, Nathalie de Vries
Co-architect: AISA
Landscape architect: Field Operations
Structural: engineer: ARUP, AISA
Façade: consultant: RFR
Interior architect: CL3, Xu Studio
Lighting design: RDI
Photography: Xia Zhi, Liu Guowei, Tian Fangfang, Sanqian Visual Image Art
