colorful geometric volumes by URBANUS extend atop old building in china

URBANUS Regenerates Nantou Hybrid Building in Shenzhen

URBANUS‘ Nantou Hybrid Building, situated in Shenzhen‘s Nantou Old Town, is a composite of five structures constructed across different historical periods, showcasing varied materials, structures, and styles. The renovation emphasizes the preservation of existing complexities, contradictions, and conflicts, both internally and externally, capturing traces of additions, transformations, and material replacements. The project, demonstrating a progressive regeneration approach, introduces two new volumes on the rooftop, featuring a juxtaposition of solid and void elements, culminating in a discreet roof garden. The exterior walls play a crucial role in structural integrity, carefully preserving existing facades while removing hazardous additions that pose a structural risk.

A central ‘circulation core’ accommodates a new elevator and staircase. Communal spaces on each level extend outward from the core, puncturing through the facade to create red-iron steel versatile plug-ins that serve as doorways, canopies, balconies, footbridges, and staircases, thus creating a dynamic journey through the interstices of the buildings. Natural light is introduced through skylights and redesigned spaces between the buildings, significantly enhancing the indoor environment. The ground floor, previously bustling with shops and stalls, retains its vibrancy with enhanced semi-outdoor spaces. Residential units on the upper floors are reorganized for adaptability, fostering social interactions with an ‘enclosed circulation’ system.

all images by ©Zhang Chao unless stated otherwise

URBANUS sets up a Colorful Collage of old and new materials

The meticulous preservation of existing facades, blending old and new materials in a colorful collage, reflects the authentic essence of Nantou Hybrid Building. The innovative design introduces a red semi-circular volume extending from the fourth to the fifth floor, juxtaposed with a green, rectangular volume featuring semi-outdoor spaces, both perched atop the rooftop. These structures interact with the double-height space and skylights, harmonizing with the roof terrace, forming a tranquil garden and a ‘Vertical Arcadia’ above the urban buzz. The Nantou Hybrid Building project demonstrates the evolving history of Shenzhen’s urban villages, reorganizing ‘chaos into coherence’ while meeting contemporary social and cultural demands. Design studio URBANUS creates an open, micro-complex within the densely populated Nantou Old Town showcasing a paradigm shift in thought and concept, aligning with the ethos of ‘Urban Coexistence’ and offering a novel typology for future urban village developments.

north view

north-east view

Baode Square and east view of Nantou Hybrid Building

roof garden

interior and terrace on the east side of the 4th floor

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east entrance to the second floor

light court

spiral staircase in the atrium

partial view of the spiral staircase in the atrium

south alley

interior before renovation | image by ©URBANUS

exterior before renovation | image by ©URBANUS

project info:

name: Nantou Hybrid Building
architect: URBANUS | @urbanus_architects

principal architect: Meng Yan
project general manager: Yao Xiaowei
project architect: Jiang Qingzhou, Zheng Zhi, Zhang Chaoxian

design team: Rao Enchen, Huang Jiahong, Li Guanda (Landscape), Zhao Siying, Wu Xiaopeng (Internship)

client: Public Works Bureau of Nanshan District, Shenzhen
construction agency: Vanke

site area: 362 sqm
floor area: 1090 sqm
curtain wall: Pag Facade Systems Co., Limited
lighting design: GD-Lighting Design

location: Shenzhen, China

photography: Zhang Chao, URBANUS

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edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom