Dalian 37 Xiang Cultural and Creative Park by United Units Architects Receives the Golden A' Design Award in Architecture, Building and Structure Design

The international grand jury of the 2022 - 2023 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes United Units Architects for architecture, building and structure design

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 20, 2023 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Dalian 37 Xiang Cultural and Creative Park by United Units Architects has been granted the Golden A' Design Award in the Architecture, Building and Structure Design category. The award was conferred within the 2022 - 2023 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

What the Golden A' Design Award Means

The Gold A' Design Award is granted to designs that demonstrate a high level of innovation and a significant impact on their intended audience. Recognized as a major achievement by the A' Design Awards, these designs are characterized by their visionary approach and the exceptional skill of their creators. Winners of the Gold A' Design Award are noted for their ability to push the envelope in art, science, design, and technology, delivering solutions that not only meet but exceed expectations. These designs serve as benchmarks for excellence, encouraging further innovation and inspiring future generations of designers.

More About Dalian 37 Xiang Cultural and Creative Park

Transformed from an abandoned factory, Dalian 37 Xiang is located halfway up the mountain side with a main aspect towards the harbor in the north of the city. The design is inspired by the geographical features of Dalian's iconic mountains and adjacent seas, creating a new architectural image that echoes the spirit of the city, establishing a contrast between the old and the new through light interventions. The design objective was to renew this old factory into a regional landmark of the city, accommodate multiple business types, and finally make it an open and dynamic city node.

Award Record

With this recognition, United Units Architects is a winner of 4 A' Design Awards. The awards were granted between the 2020 - 2021 and the 2022 - 2023 editions of the A' Design Award & Competition.

About the A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award

The A' Architecture Design Award is an international architectural design competition recognizing good architectural designs by best architects worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to architectural design studios, building contractors, structural engineering firms and architecture and design consultants from all countries. Typical entries include skyscrapers, museums, residential buildings, commercial complexes, educational institutions and religious structures. The awarded architectural projects are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/architecture

About A' Design Award & Competition

Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/145181
A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/145181
Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!145181
Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/281949
Further Information from the Laureate: http://www.u-u-a.com

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project: Dalian 37 Xiang Cultural and Creative Park
Function: Cultural and Creative Park
Category: Architecture, Building and Structure Design
Discipline: Spatial Design
Industry: Architecture
Colors: Slate Gray, Light Slate Gray, Dark Gray, Steel Blue and Light Steel Blue
Images: 5

The Recognition

Laureate: United Units Architects
Country: China
Recognition: Golden A' Design Award
Edition: 2022 - 2023
Design ID: #145181

Credits

Team: Yongzheng Li, Qizhi Li, Liang Deng, Wenbo He, Teng Jiang, Xinghua Ma, Hongbo Fang, Yanfeng Lyu, Huanyu Chen, Jiaxin Zhang and Yuxin Jin
Image Credits: Photographer Weiqi Jin, Night, 2022.; Photographer Weiqi Jin, Day, 2022.; Photographer Weiqi Jin, Terrace, 2022.; Photographer Weiqi Jin, Sails, 2022.; Photographer Weiqi Jin, Details, 2022. Video Credits: Shiming Xiao + Weiqi Jin, 2022.

Design Details

Unique Properties: Transformed from an abandoned factory, Dalian 37 Xiang is located halfway up the mountain side with a main aspect towards the harbor in the north of the city. The design is inspired by the geographical features of Dalian's iconic mountains and adjacent seas, creating a new architectural image that echoes the spirit of the city, establishing a contrast between the old and the new through delicate and light interventions. The design objective was to renew this old factory into a regional landmark of the city, accommodate multiple business types, and finally make it an open and dynamic city node.
Inspiration: The emergence of the architectural image comes from the exploration of Dalian's city spirit. Combining the unique geographical resources of mountains, hills, peninsulas, oceans, together with the urban fabric have created the impression of Dalian as a city of mountains and seas. The first inspiration for the architectural design comes from the geographical features of the city. The design language is abstracted from the form of waves and sails, establishing a spiritual connection between the building and people by endowing the building with a new visual imagination.
Research: Located in the core area of the old city area of Dalian, the site is backed by Martyrs Mountain, facing Dalian Bay to the north, adjacent to the Dalian Government. Scattered around the site is an equally decades-old neighborhood, so over time the factory has become part of the collective memory of the local residents. Therefore, the new architectural image should not only resonate emotionally with the surrounding residents, but also become a regional landmark facing the future, activating the old community in the way of acupuncture.
Challenge: The main building of the site was originally a cuboid industrial factory building with a regular 6m x 9m structural grid, presenting a typical uninspiring example of an industrial building, an impression that is essentially contradictory to the vitality of the cultural and creative industry. So how to create a continuity before and after the renovation, whilst at the same time liberating the building from the original monotonous form to achieve a more free and romantic form, is a key point of our thinking.
Realization and Technology: The first step of the renovation strategy is to establish a new facade grid. The horizontal lines of the facade grid are formed according to the building levels of the floors, roof and parapet. At the same time, the vertical lines of the facade grid are spaced 1.2 meters apart, which not only conforms to the specifications of conventional building materials, but also forms a multiple relationship with the building's structural grid. Based on this facade grid, we established a new facade system superimposed on the old structural order.
Operation and Interaction: Mixed business types are an important prerequisite for ensuring the vitality of the park, with each business type being suitable for a specific target customer group. Through the rational allocation and sharing of resources, different business types can guide customers to each other, creating a synergistic effect. Dalian 37 Xiang is comprised of rental offices, radio museum, coffee shop, bookshop, communal space, tea shop, fashion shop, art education, restaurant, etc., emphasizing the theme of "fusion space".
Project Duration and Location: The project started in December 2020 and finished in September 2022 in Dalian, China.
Specifications: Site Area: 4,000 m2 Gross Floor Area: 5,300 m2
Keywords: Renovation, Urban Renewal, Urban Regeneration, Industrial Heritage, Mountains and Seas, Beacon, Mixed Uses, Roof Garden