FUTURE CITY Exhibition Center

  • Shenzhen, Guangdong, China

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The Golden Business Center, a hallmark of "Golden Luohu", is one of Shenzhen's earliest urban landmarks completed not long after the city opened up. Constructed in 2003, this building embodies the architectural style prevalent during that period, notably recognized by citizens for its golden hue. To harmoniously integrate the new exhibition center with the existing structure, it becomes crucial to establish an appropriate design scale for the exhibition space's facade while preserving the style of the original building. To achieve this delicate balance, Various Associates ingeniously incorporated hollowed-out patterns inspired by the city fabric with a golden facade, to echo the original architectural features and establish a connection between the original structure and the new space.

 

The design team aimed to convey an essential tension on the facade with a contrast of solidness and lightness. Anticipating challenges such as the impact of the internal structure on the hollowed-out patterns, and general issues in an elongated cantilever, such as wind resistance and potential material deformation, the team opted for casting techniques involving acrylic and hollowed-out metal to tackle these technical hurdles. The finished cantilevered external facade now stands as the first super-large craftwork in China, boasting a nearly 30-meter-long facade cast with acrylic, achieved without the use of any metal screws.

 

The urban exhibition center of Future City in Hubei area of Luohu incorporates a diverse array of elements, including the real and the virtual, brightness and darkness, light and shadows, the tangible and the ethereal, and reflections of both past and future. Leveraging materials and spatial relations, the design team curated varied experiences and emotional resonance within a confined interior space. Each door entrance offers visitors a journey through different timelines of the city, culminating in a return to their present lives.