The Industrial Cultural Gem in the City: The Transformation of Guangzhou Haizhu T

I.T Creative Park Phase IV. In the embrace of Industrial Avenue in Haizhu District, Guangzhou, a project that carries the memory of Guangzhou's industrial history stands quietly. Here, it has witnessed the development of Guangzhou's urban industry during the reform and opening-up era, serving as the starting point for classic brands such as 'Wuyang' bicycles, 'Tiger Head' batteries, 'Shuangqiao' MSG, and 'Phoenix' washing machines to reach thousands of households. Today, this land welcomes a new transformation. The original site is the Xinghua Battery Factory, the cradle that once nurtured 'Tiger Head' batteries. It has now been listed as one of the first batch of industrial cultural heritage sites in Guangzhou, awaiting a new lease on life. On the basis of preserving the industrial landscape, this old industrial factory area will be revitalized and transformed into a cultural and creative park that integrates industrial culture with the spirit of urban development. The park is adjacent to the busy elevated roads, where the main road intersects with Hedong Bridge, forming a unique visual corridor that seems to connect the past with the present. In our transformation strategy, we are committed to recording, organizing, preserving, refining, renewing, and coexisting, to rejuvenate this land with new vitality. During the transformation process, we noticed various shortcomings in the old park: scattered workshops, unconnected movement lines, mixed traffic, and lack of buffer spaces. However, it is these shortcomings that contribute to the unique charm of the park. The buildings constructed with red bricks, under the unique climate of Lingnan, have been simply hollowed out to facilitate ventilation and cooling while also providing shade. We combined the historical elements of the old factory's red bricks to form a new arrangement, creating a continuous red brick corridor that runs from east to west, integrating the project site, and forming a unified, complete, and standardized spatial movement line. The corridor system bends and adheres, acting like an outer garment for the buildings, creating new open spaces between the buildings and the road, reducing conflicts, separating the original mixed traffic flow, and improving the traffic and visual relationships within the park. Light and shadow interweave in different ways within the corridor system, adding a sense of dimension and layering to the space. The embedded natural landscape enriches the spatial atmosphere, making it more diverse and ecological. During the transformation, we adopted a low-disturbance strategy to ensure that the original architectural structures were not disturbed or damaged. The integrated corridors mimic the irregular forms found in natural landscapes, climbing over the buildings like living plants, presenting different folded shapes, and cleverly increasing spatial diversity like screens, making the space under the corridors more flexible and varied. Industrial remnants are not only the memory of the site but also an emotional resonance for a generation. During the transformation, we not only meet new needs but also pragmatically consider various factors. Today, we are gradually moving away from an era of constant 'construction' and starting to focus on 'maintaining' buildings, caring about their growth, change, and recombination. The new and the old, reappear, regenerate, and reunite, this once single-production factory area has transformed into a living landmark where multiple cultures, offices, and arts blend. After the completion of the TIT Creative Park Phase IV transformation project, the integrity of the park has been strengthened, the attractiveness of the spatial environment has been continuously enhanced, attracting many businesses to continue to move in. As travelers, we are not just observers, but also inheritors of the stories of this land. Let us look forward to the future, where this cultural and creative park, full of history and vitality, will shine even brighter.