Shanghai art academy gives new lease of life to steel factory
Zeng Chenggang (left), dean of the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts of Shanghai University, introduces the blueprint of the academy's new campus at a former steel factory to foreign guests at the World Design Cities Conference.
A renovation project will start soon to transform Shanghai's former iron-steel plant in the northern suburban district of Baoshan into the campus of the city's academy of fine arts.
The Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts of Shanghai University released the design blueprint of its new Wusong campus, renovated from the stainless plant of the No. 1 Shanghai Steel Factory, on the sidelines of the World Design Cities Conference (WDCC), which opened in Shanghai on Tuesday.
The sprawling industrial heritage, stretching nearly a kilometer in length, about 100 meters in width, and approximately 20 meters high, will be largely preserved. It will accommodate a world-class art school that matches Shanghai's status as a global metropolis, said Zeng Chenggang, dean of the academy.
"It will transform from a steel-smelting furnace into a talent-cultivating platform," Zeng told Shanghai Daily. The renovation project will be launched on Thursday and completed by 2026.
The future campus will include the educational center and a research institute on the new Shanghai-style culture. It will focus on art education and attract international artistic professionals.
The New Shanghai Genre Living Room was unveiled at the WDCC by the academy, which will become a key part of its new campus.
"The institute will explore how to infuse traditional Chinese culture into the design industry to create a distinctive Shanghai style," said Zhang Lili, deputy dean of the academy.
Zhang noted that Shanghai's cultural influence has appeared to be less prominent nowadays. The new Wusong campus aims to give a new unique identity to the design industry in the city.
The academy launched a "New Shanghai Genre Living Room" for the WDCC this year to offer an immersive exhibition that showcases a blend of traditional culture and modern design. Some revived cultural heritage skills and time-honored brands are on display.
The steel factory building was put into operation in September 1989. By 2000, it had steelmaking, continuous casting and hot rolling production facilities.
Foreign guests check artworks that blend the heritage skills of China's ethnic groups and modern designs of the academy at the WDCC.
It was the most complex engineering project of the No. 1 Shanghai Steel Plant, which was established in 1938. It encapsulates the spirit of Baosteel employees and their collective memories.
Challenges of the renovation include how to preserve the original steel framework and retain industrial memories, while making the best use of the space, according to the academy.
The Wusong area in Baoshan District, known as the cradle of China's modern industry, was home to the renowned Baosteel Group and more than 300 other metal refineries and chemical engineering plants dating back to the 1930s.
Most of the factories have shut down or been relocated due to pollution control.
Now the 26-square-kilometer site will be transformed into Wusong Smart City, a subcenter with new materials and hardware industries, scientific and cultural innovation parks, commercial and business facilities, residential communities and waterfront attractions.
Visitors watch the old-style electric fans once popular in Shanghai at the academy's exhibition to highlight the Shanghai-style culture.
