Rethinking the Relationship Between Infrastructure and Public Space: The Lingtchi Station Ventilation Wing Project

Thinking About Infrastructure from a Human-Centered Perspective

When initiating the renovation project of the ventilation wing at Lingtchi Station on Shenzhen Metro Line 12, it became essential to take a deeper look at the infrastructure itself, especially considering the repeated delays throughout its lengthy construction phase. This reflects the complex challenges that large-scale projects may encounter in older urban areas, where technical factors intertwine with the social fabric of the city.

The Historical and Social Context of the Site

The project is located in the old Bao’an District, Zone 25, an area rich with memories and experiences of local residents over an extended period. This historical context makes any urban intervention require a precise understanding of how people are connected to the place, and how changes might impact their daily lives.

Human Memory and Its Relationship with the Environment

Human memory is often unreliable; nevertheless, it interacts with tangible elements in its surroundings. Daily experiences, emotions, and sensations arising from this interaction become an integral part of the city’s everyday life fabric.

Urban Renewal as a Weaving of Daily Life

At its core, urban renewal represents the weaving of a shared collective existence, where architectural changes contribute to reshaping the connections between individuals and their environment. Through this process, urban projects can preserve the social identity of a place while enhancing its functions and architectural standards.

Reviewing the Vision and Challenges

Through ongoing discussions, it became clear that the project’s ambitious and idealistic vision was overly radical. This experience confirmed that any intervention within an existing urban system requires a precise understanding of its role within the current context, rather than imposing sweeping changes or radical demolition.

Learning from the Existing System

We learned that our role was to extract certain ideas or restore a specific balance within the existing system, rather than completely reshaping it. The project demonstrates that urban change is often a continuous and long-term process, requiring patience and an appreciation of existing factors.

Focusing on Public Presence

As a result, the discussion around the renovation of the ventilation wing shifted toward the concept of public presence that this wing should embody as part of the urban infrastructure. The primary goal became enhancing the daily experience of users by improving the relationship between infrastructure and public space, rather than focusing on major, transient changes.

Verticality and Presence in the Urban Scene

The metro ventilation wing is characterized by a significant height, roughly equivalent to a three-story building. However, due to functional requirements, these wings are almost entirely enclosed, standing in front of the bustling commercial street as a series of silent voids left within the urban scene. This contrast between street activity and the stillness of the wings creates an ideal space for artistic experimentation, where the voids can be perceived as open canvases for drawing and design.

Simplifying the Existing Mass

The renovation strategy followed a non-radical approach; we focused on simplifying the existing mass of the ventilation wing and integrating it as much as possible. This method ensures the preservation of the wing’s core function while enhancing its aesthetics without affecting its fundamental structure.

Colors and Abstraction

We utilized an illustration by Morong as a primary reference for colors to design the painted metal panel facades in an abstract manner. Employing colors in this way allowed us to create a visually harmonious contrast with the surrounding environment while maintaining a contemporary and appealing character.

Connecting the Wings and Enhancing Visual Communication

Finally, we added a mesh corridor between multiple wing clusters to connect them visually and functionally. This step strengthens the harmony between different spaces and supports the user experience, while providing a balanced urban response to the surrounding street.

Colored Drawing as a Symbolic Approach

This design does not stem from traditional architectural concerns such as space, structure, or behavioral activities; rather, it relies on colored drawing as a direct symbolic approach.

Boldness and Visual Impact

Although somewhat bold, introducing this simple symbol into the existing and diverse environment of the old town provides the site with an immediate and significant visual impact. This highlights how unconventional interventions can play a crucial role in revitalizing urban spaces while maintaining visual continuity between the project and its historic surroundings.

Focusing on Color Composition

During our discussions, the color composition of the aluminum panels was a key area of focus. We began by simulating the effects of different color blocks on the computer, which allowed us to visualize potential outcomes before actual implementation.

Studying Manufacturing Techniques

Next, we examined the manufacturing techniques for the individual panels to ensure the required precision in colors and finishes. This approach underscores the importance of integrating digital design with physical reality to align the design vision with the final result.

Modeling and Color Calibration

In the prototyping stage, we calibrated the colors by comparing 1:1 printed mock-ups with physical samples. This meticulous process helped achieve harmony between materials and colors, while ensuring the natural interplay of light and shadow on the façade.

Final Visual Impression

The completed façade evokes the image of a glowing sunset, creating an engaging visual experience that connects with the surrounding environment. It demonstrates how colors can evolve from mere decorative elements into a means of psychological and aesthetic impact within the urban space.

The Life Cycle of Urban Renewal

A defining feature of urban renewal is its typically lengthy life cycle. Changes do not occur overnight; rather, they unfold over an extended period, allowing the community to gradually interact with new elements.

Integrating Elements into Public Life

When certain elements are dismantled and dispersed over this extended timeframe, they participate more broadly in urban public activities. This approach creates opportunities to integrate new elements into people’s daily lives in a seamless and harmonious manner.

Introducing Unexpected Touches

Through this process, unexpected touches can be added to public spaces, enhancing user experience and providing aesthetic and functional value to the urban environment, making renewal a living and continuously evolving process.

✦ ArchUp Editorial Insight

The renovation project of the ventilation wing at Lingtchi Station can be seen as a step reflecting awareness of the need to enhance the relationship between infrastructure and public space, with careful attention to color composition and the gradual integration of new elements into the urban landscape. This approach may help improve users’ daily experiences and create opportunities for visual interaction with the surrounding environment, representing a positive aspect of the project that can be built upon in the future.

However, several aspects require further study and evaluation before considering the project a fully realized architectural model. The heavy reliance on colors as a symbolic element to enliven the semi-enclosed spaces is limited in terms of its overall impact on residents and the local community, and does not necessarily address the broader challenges related to infrastructure functionality or social integration within the place. Similarly, simplifying the existing mass without reconsidering strategies for space utilization may leave gaps in the interaction between the project and its urban surroundings, limiting its ability to meet long-term needs.

This project can be utilized as a case study to understand how limited and non-radical interventions can contribute to improving the urban scene, while taking into account the necessity of integrating user assessments and urban performance indicators to evaluate the effectiveness of these solutions over the long term. Moreover, the project provides architects with an opportunity to study how digital design can be combined with tangible materials to achieve alignment between conceptual vision and physical reality, emphasizing that this process requires greater integration between design, functionality, and social context.

Prepared by the ArchUp Editorial Team

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