tanghua architects adds rusty red arcade to shenzhen's international art design center

tanghua architect & associates has designed one of the art arcades of the international art design center (iADC) in shenzhen, china. the project is located to the north of the art town museum, designed by rocco yim, and on the east side of the central pedestrian street, accommodating retail stores, cafes and artist studios. a cluster of rusty red perforated arches takes center stage in the design, constantly reframing the landscape as visitors ascend up the stairs.images by arch-exist, zheng chenxi

‘our design seeks to instigate a sense of mystery and even melancholy in the pedestrian, reminiscent of the work of giorgio de chirico, where fading afternoon light is intruding into the almost empty street,’ notes tanghua architect & associates. invited by manjinghua investments group and rocco design, the local architecture studio developed a cluster of floating boxes, which generate horizontal and vertical paths in between. a rusty red perforated volume comprising circular elements and an overhanging arch makes the visual focus of the project.

the orderly and systematic urban planning of the shenzhen art town, where the project is located, ensures efficient transportation with a winding central pedestrian street connecting its three blocks. the arcade comprises a series of volumes that generate horizontal and vertical paths in between. four horizontal and two vertical lanes on the ground floor confine a narrow wedge-shaped courtyard, ascending and sinking through the building volume. on the second floor there is an open-air atrium connecting into the transportation system of the art town. ‘the work of marcel duchamp, in which pieces of abstract fragments are clustered together to imply movements, inspired us to design a cubist staircase in the architecture.’ the staircase is enclosed by the rusty red perforated plates and naturally becomes the visual focus of the project.