A transformative adaptive reuse development in Wuhan

SAA and SJ’s concept design proposal for an adaptive reuse project has come in second place, pitting against 52 leading design institutions from the UK, France, Germany, Australia, the Netherlands, and China.

The project, Wugang Yungu·606, is an adaptive reuse development in Wuhan, China, seeking to transform an area with decommissioned heavy industrial buildings into a new vibrant lifestyle and community hub and business park model.

Set to be a benchmark for innovation in the economic belt of the Yangtze River, the development will host shared facilities, cultural and entertainment venues, and themed markets in a historical context. The SAA team endeavoured to provide a unique character and identity to the place, aiming for an agile juxtaposition of conservation and contemporary buildings.

Celebrating the history of the site as well as making the neighbourhood more humanistic, the team utilised the existing site boundary of the Wugang steelworks facility, incorporating steel structures into the landscape. The architectural detailing taps on this vocabulary, with exposed steel frames and accents.

The competition was organised in June 2023 by the Hongshan Branch of Wuhan Municipal Bureau of Natural Resources and Planning. SAA formed part of the larger Surbana Jurong Group team that competed in this endeavour, with the Architectural Design & Research Institute of SCUT, and real estate consultant Colliers.