RENOVATION OF CHANGCHUN TRACTOR FACTORY | Changchun, Jilin Province, China | 2018 

Renovation of Changchun tractor factory Background Changchun tractor factory, invested and founded by Chinese government during the Second Five-Year Plan (1958-1962), was the first modern agriculture machinery plant in Jilin province.

After 30 years of development, Changchun tractor factory became one of the most productive tractor factory all over the nation in 1980s, but with the decrease of demand for tractors, the factory was abandoned in 2002, leaving the buildings to fade into ash.

Nowadays, the entire factory is listed in cultural relics of Changchun city as it is one of the most important representatives of the city’s industrial history.

Its spatial pattern and architectural style are considered embodiment of typical industry style of the nations’ founding age.

At the moment, as being abandoned for more than 15 years, there are eight workshops remaining in the factory and all of them need immediate preservation.

The central axis and the main gate, which were the most representative features of the factory, are remained but hardly to recognize.

The factory needs an entire renovation right away. Concept As its surrounding environment flourishes in art industry, the historic tractor factory is prepared with an opportunity to become heart of cultural and creative industry.

The industrial background breeds avant-garde artists and the workshops provide them with sufficient spaces.

With cultural industry leading renovation, commercial, leisure and other programs will gather together and the tractor factory district will become public center providing neighboring residents with abundant activities.

The renovation begins with reconstruction of the structure of the factory. Central axis is enhanced to emphasize area’s spatial memory and historical meaning.

A public square is added to the north end of the axis to create an open space for the public and give the axis a ceremonial end.

Driveways are introduced into the factory site to break the site into smaller blocks and establish efficient connection between city and site.

Meanwhile, a pedestrian system is placed to run through all the workshops within the site as the site’s original scale is too large to provide visitors with a convenient walking path.

The entire factory is divided into three parts according to the distribution of programs: Culture, Studio and Leisure, and new programs are added into the workshops considering the buildings’ value and situation.

In the Culture part, workshops are typical in style and relatively intact in situation, so buildings are preserved and used as museum to exhibit history and future of this factory and a theater is implanted into original structure to replace the broken part.

In the Studio part, workshops are restored to contain offices and studios and a new complex is established above blank ground.

In the Leisure part, where buildings are mostly ruined, the workshops are adaptive reused as playgrounds and activity places. Hotels and retail street are introduced around the central square.