The Suzhou Xiangcheng Yangchenghu Hairy Crab Cultural Park is a renovation project based on the former Dongsheng Forging Factory, located in Xiaojing Village, Yangchenghu Town, Xiangcheng District. This project breathes new life into the long-abandoned forging workshop by celebrating hairy crab culture while preserving the original factory site.
The project carefully preserves the rugged framework of the old factory while introducing delicate new exhibition halls within. This juxtaposition creates a dialogue between past and present, blending new spatial functions with memories of the past. The new halls act as the core inside the old skeleton, with the original structure supporting the contemporary additions. This interplay between old and new, interior and exterior, generates a vibrant spatial dynamic.
The new exhibition hall spans two levels, featuring interconnected high-ceiling spaces arranged from east to west. These distinct volumes define themed exhibition areas with their unique characteristics. At the heart of the second floor, a steel cantilevered structure disrupts the original facade’s rhythm, creating a transparent display window that forms a striking architectural statement.
Extending westward to the riverbank, the new exhibition hall culminates in a tea room boasting a vast floor-to-ceiling glass wall that offers panoramic river views. An outdoor staircase leads visitors to a spacious observation deck on the second floor, creating an ideal spot to enjoy sunsets under the gentle lake breeze.
A clear concrete corridor extends from the main northern entrance to the old factory area, connecting the office building with the new exhibition halls. This corridor directs visitors’ sightlines toward the main building through an enclosed eastern wall, while gaps in the concrete allow natural light to filter through, creating a poetic, serene passage alongside the landscaped water features.
The entrance corridor and the existing office building together create an entrance plaza, serving as a welcoming space for visitors and a gathering area. Between these two structures lies an ecological natural water feature surrounded by a landscaped trail and crab culture-themed decorations, forming the central courtyard. South of the new exhibition hall, a natural green space is integrated with the surrounding environment, hidden within the landscape to create a tranquil backyard. This arrangement forms a three-dimensional spatial sequence consisting of a front yard, a middle courtyard, and a backyard, all connected by the concrete corridor to establish a coherent and rich spatial flow.
Project Drawings
Project Information
Architect: Urban Architecture of Nine Cities
Area: 5,700 m²
Year: 2022
Photographer: Yao Li
Lead Designer: Zhang Yingpeng
Design Team: Wang Fan, Chen Kangjun, Qi Wenhua
Structural Design: Jiucheng Urban Architectural Design Co., Ltd
Landscape Design: Jiucheng Urban Architecture Design Co., Ltd
Construction: Suzhou Wulin Garden Development Co., Ltd
Function: Cultural Architecture – Exhibition Architecture – Exhibition Hall
Client: Suzhou Xiaojing Handicraft Art Village Development Co., Ltd
Location: Suzhou, China
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