Dalian 37 Xiang Cultural and Creative Park

Luminous white perforated metal façades rise against a soft cerulean twilight sky in United Units Architects (UUA)'s Dalian 37 Xiang Cultural and Creative Park, where the eye immediately gravitates toward the dramatic sweeping vertical fins that punctuate the upper right portion of the composition, their sail-like profiles creating dynamic silhouettes that pierce upward with graceful tension against the gradient atmosphere. The compositional architecture follows an asymmetrical balance weighted toward the right third, where these sculptural elements command attention while the horizontal banding of the lower structure provides grounding stability through its rhythmic fenestration pattern. The chromatic palette operates within a refined analogous harmony of cool pearl whites, warm amber interior illumination bleeding through the perforated screens, and the atmospheric blue-violet of dusk, creating a temperature dialogue between the building's warm inhabited glow and the cooling external envelope. The perforated aluminum panels establish a sophisticated optical texture that shifts between opacity and transparency, suggesting breath and porosity while the underlying glass curtain wall reveals layered spatial depth. Light sources emerge from within the structure, casting warm aureate luminosity through the screen system in a manner reminiscent of traditional paper lanterns, while the ambient twilight provides cool diffused illumination from above and behind. The perspectival system employs a subtle two-point convergence that emphasizes the building's linear extension leftward while the dramatic vertical elements create counterpoint through their upward thrust. Edge behavior demonstrates remarkable sensitivity, with the perforated screens creating feathered, breathing boundaries between interior and exterior realms, while the solid white masses present crisp, decisive profiles against sky. The stone retaining wall in the foreground provides material contrast through its rough, geological texture against the refined industrial surfaces above. Stylistically, the work evidences contemporary parametric sensibilities merged with contextual sensitivity, suggesting affinities with the poetic tectonics of practitioners who elevate industrial materials to expressive architectural poetry, achieving a meditative quality through the interplay of veiling and revealing, mass and void, natural light and artificial warmth.

Transformed from an abandoned factory, Dalian 37 Xiang is located halfway up the mountain side with a main aspect towards the harbor in the north of the city. The design is inspired by the geographical features of Dalian's iconic mountains and adjacent seas, creating a new architectural image that echoes the spirit of the city, establishing a contrast between the old and the new through light interventions. The design objective was to renew this old factory into a regional landmark of the city, accommodate multiple business types, and finally make it an open and dynamic city node.