O-office turns an abandoned factory into iD town: the creative art district

‘iD town’ O-office architects, guangdong province, china
all images courtesy of O-office

guangzhou-based O-office architects has recently opened the first exhibition in their ongoing renovation of an abandoned concrete factory titled ‘iD town’. the project occupies the former 20-acre honghua printing and dyeing factory built in 1989 and left deserted for over 10 years, now home to a series of infill structures comprising an art district complete with studios, restaurants, hotels, administrative spaces and exhibition spaces amongst others. the entire master plan will see the realization of 18 buildings over a period of 20 years, however some of the locales are already completed and functioning. using the existing concrete skeleton of the derelict construct, the architects injected black and white structures organized loosely around a straight line that respond to an improved sense of human scale, structurally independent to the factory’s 550-foot aged shell. the windows of the factory have been removed to create a free flow of circulation and opens the internal structures to courtyards on the exterior which will accommodate a wide range of events and larger audiences. as new clients approach, the project will grow in scope and character, however the change is expected to occur over a longer period of time.

structures sit independently to the factory walls

openings create connections to exterior courtyards

new structures provide a stark contrast to the aged concrete shell

large entrance to an artist studio

original columns penetrate the new structures

elevation

illuminated at night

before construction

construction

aerial view of the factory

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