Reviving History: Chengdu Dongmen Wharf Renovation

Yuanyuan Zhang and Yingjie Lin Breathe New Life into an Ancient Wharf

The design draws inspiration from traditional Chengdu architecture, incorporating three-dimensional tile room spaces into the main building. The use of modern structures and materials, coupled with LED transparent screen technology and dynamic projection images, recreates the prosperous scene of the Dongmen Wharf in its prime. The project is a testament to the designers' ability to blend the old with the new, creating a space that is both historically immersive and technologically advanced.

Chengdu Dongmen Wharf was one of the five wharfs in Chengdu during the Tang and Song dynasties. However, the historic area was completely demolished and rebuilt during the last round of "old city renewal". Today, only the shape of the wharf and its name remain. The design task was to reproduce the former elegance of Dongmen Wharf and the "life of poetry and wine" that Chengdu was known for.

The project utilizes lightweight steel structures and glass curtain walls as the main materials for the renovation. A combination of transparent LED screens, projected images, and dynamic lighting is used to reproduce the scene of millennium wharf changes. This gives the entire building a sense of historical immersion at night that is different from that of the day. The project covers an area of 5,800 square meters.

The design process involved the recycling of surrounding residential buildings to form the embryonic form of the existing wharf cultural space. The original wharf and its surrounding resources were integrated, and through the combination of the main building renovation, the reuse of the original wharf site, and the river cruise ship project, a coherent, integral, and sustainable situational wharf space was created. This resulted in a sustainable historical and cultural experience space that is in line with the modern city.

The project began in Chengdu, China, in October 2018 and was completed in June 2019. The project aimed to re-present a bustling memory and image of history on a largely lost site. It created a series of temporary or long-term sites for activities such as pleasure boats, dining, shopping, entertainment, and art, to activate and re-invest ancient urban infrastructure into the urban public domain.

One of the main challenges faced during the design process was finding a balance between history and multimedia. New materials and multimedia make immersive historical scenes possible, but it was necessary to find a proper balance between the two to ensure harmony. Despite these challenges, the project was successful and was awarded Silver in the A' Architecture, Building and Structure Design Award in 2020.