Design competition collects faces for Cable 8

By Zhang Dongya

Six projects from the US, Iran and China won the first Architects in Mission (AIM) international competition last Friday at Cable 8 Creative Center, the last factory in Beijing’s central business district (CBD).

The competition was held by ZNA, a Boston-based architecture and urban design firm aiming to collect ideas for the future development of the factory.

The first prize went to Iran architects Massoud Afsarmanesh and Ali Afsarmanesh, who designed a glass cover to place over the old space and function with it.

“They won the competition because their project was doable and practical. Their model was fluent, bright and eye-catching,” said Darren Chang, senior architect of ZNA.

“Since China is promoting large, landmark structures, their design was exactly the kind we need,” he said.

Other works like the third-prize winner “Civilian Gardens of a Big City,” submitted by Chinese competitors Wu Yang and Han Xili, placed rentable gardens in Cable 8 in an attempt to fuse rural agriculture and the urban balcony.

“We hope the awarded projects will get influence Cable 8’s decision makers when they consider making the transformation,” Chang said.

Similar folk creations and academic competitions have influenced the development decisions of other governments abroad, he said.

“We hope this could also happen in China, even if it is a long shot,” he said.

Cable 8 is located in the former Beijing Electric Wire and Cable Factory on Jianguo Road.

The factory complex, built in 1958, began its transformation into a culture and creative center three years ago.

Eight of its 20 buildings were redecorated. However, the architecture – typical of industrial buildings of the 1950s and 1970s – was left untouched. They have since become home to art galleries, design offices, photography studios, advertising agencies and clothing shops.

The juxtaposition of old and new elements in each design is intended to raise awareness of the country’s ties to its recent industrial past – a visual reminder of why it today enjoys prosperity.

Cable 8 appears on many industry tour lists in the city, but how it will further transformation is unclear.

“Actually using one of the designs will be difficult and complicated. It must balance the demands of the developers, architects and the government. Technology usually becomes secondary,” Chang said.

ZNA said they it would continue the competition next year with new topics on urban design. It is targeting college students who are majoring in architecture and young architects who have fewer than five years of work experience.