Dalian 37 Xiang Cultural and Creative Park

Situated within the discourse of contemporary adaptive architectural practice, this photograph documents United Units Architects (UUA)'s achievement in transforming industrial heritage into a vibrant cultural destination, where the interplay of perforated metal screening and dynamic sculptural elements suggests a sophisticated meditation on transparency, memory, and renewal. The architects appear to engage deeply with the phenomenology of the building envelope, employing perforated aluminum panels that function simultaneously as solar mediators, privacy screens, and luminous surfaces that transform the structure into a glowing beacon at twilight. The sweeping vertical fins that crown the composition evoke nautical imagery appropriate to the maritime context, their graceful profiles suggesting sails catching wind or perhaps the fluid calligraphy of traditional brush painting translated into architectural form. Technical accomplishment manifests in the precise calibration of perforation patterns that modulate views and light transmission, creating a breathing membrane that softens the boundary between interior creative workspaces and the surrounding urban fabric. The warm amber illumination emanating through the screens at dusk invites consideration of the building as inhabited lantern, a beacon of cultural production that announces its civic presence through gentle luminosity rather than aggressive monumentality. One might observe how the horizontal datum lines of floor plates and screening panels establish visual order and human scale against the dramatic verticality of the fin elements, achieving dynamic equilibrium between rational organization and expressive gesture. The material palette of white-finished aluminum against stone base and glazed openings demonstrates sophisticated understanding of how industrial materials may be elevated to poetic expression through careful detailing and proportional refinement. Viewers are invited to contemplate how architecture might honor the productive legacy of industrial sites while creating spaces that nurture contemporary creative endeavor and community engagement.

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.