Suzhou Hi-con

CreatAR

• Architects

Say hi to the Suzhou Hi-Con, a creative transformation of a chimney into Suzhou Qingtai Industrial Village’s greeting icon.

Creativity in all its forms is a passionate engagement with making something happen. Creativity is often a disturbance of what is, a reordering of existing material; an encounter with something else. Creativity has the power to changes us, to bring us joy and inform us.

The Hi-con is a living and breathing art work designed to welcome everyone to Suzhou’s Qingtai International Industrial Design Village bringing a sense of joy and fun on arrival.

In order to make an impact and be part of the conversation, the Hi-con needed a physical presence in the new neighbourhood. Purposefully wrapping and transforming a newly built 24metre ventilation chimney at the southeast entrance corner of the site seemed like the obvious opportunity.

The Hi-Con was opened to the public as part of phase one of the industrial design village on January 28th 2024.

01.Previously a chimney

The Suzhou Qingtai International Industrial Design Village uses a regional energy station for central cooling and heating requiring a chimney to vent generated steam (up to 80 degrees Celsius). How to transform the utilitarian image of the chimney into something positive was the assignment.

02.Inspiration

The idea developed on a Sunday afternoon was to give the chimney a personality which could contribute to the objectives of SPARK’s master plan for the village.

The Hi-con was born.

The chimney received its own bespoke set of clothes the upper body the letter "i" ( the first letter of industrial) the lower body the letter "D" ( the first letter of design). The body composition of the chimney and its clothes together represent "iD"………. Industrial Design.

The letter "i" illustrates that the village is "industrial, innovative, international and iconic". The letter "D" stands for "Design, Development, Discovery and Dream" which aligns with the ambition of the design village.

Finally presented in front of everyone is a dancing "iD" person who has a white clock head, wearing a brown polka dot shirt, one leg standing, the other leg posed as a dancing posture, showing a lively and dynamic image.

The Hi-con is meant to stimulate discussion and provide a backdrop for selfies and memories. SPARK director Min Wei said: "We have inserted a moment of fun into to the landscape supporting the notion that 'public art' makes places more attractive."

"We focused on how objects and places can be navigable for people," Min Wei "The Hi-con is fun but at the same time functional, expressing the spirit of the industrial design village through a three dimensional graphic 'iD', guiding visitors and telling them they have arrived at the destination."

03.Hi-con’s suit

SPARK chose materials that expressed the spirit of the site therefore the Hi-con is wrapped in warm colour tones. The upper body is copper and the lower body is Corten (rusting) steel.

The clock atop the body is the dot on the i. and the head of the body, the clock is slightly rotated to the northeast to welcome visitors coming from the east side.

05.Letting off steam

The body of the chimney needs to enable more than 50% air permeability, to discharge the steam.

Through creativity and a bold expression of our vision for the Suzhou Industrial Village master plan, SPARK brings its enjoyment of testing and experimentation along with our unique aesthetic sensibility to Suzhou via the Hi-Con.