In Jingdezhen, China an ancient ceramics factory is being transformed into Taoxi Mingzhu, a landmark mixed-use complex
This is an edited excerpt from an article that originally appeared on Design & Make With Autodesk, a site dedicated to inspiring construction, manufacturing, engineering and design leaders.
Jingdezhen, an ancient and vibrant city in China, is world-renowned as the ‘porcelain capital’ thanks to its millennia-old ceramic craftsmanship and deep ceramic culture.
Today, in the heart of Jingdezhen, a new building project is under way: the renovation of the old Jingdezhen Ceramic Factory, which is being transformed into Taoxi Mingzhua, a multi-use complex with stores, artists’ studios and civic spaces.
With its open and interconnected feel and unique architectural style, Taoxi Mingzhu is becoming a new focal point for the Taoxichuan area, connecting the ancient and the modern, space and people, and history and modern art. After completion, it will be a landmark building, connecting the city’s public spaces and contributing to the development of Jingdezhen’s tourism and culture.
Under the direction of Cui Kai, one of China’s top architectural masters, this abandoned industrial site has been transformed into a multifunctional architectural complex with a total construction area of about 42,800 square metres and a complex, irregular, wave-shaped arch structure. The centerpiece is a colourful, tiled, exposed-concrete arcade that runs through the building like a ‘swimming dragon’.
Transforming an abandoned factory
Behind the innovative design is a challenging journey by the project’s construction team, China Construction First Division Group Huajiang Construction. Engineering highlights include its irregular, steep, curved surface, which is 24 metres high and more than 70 metres long.
Achieving this unique shape means every centimetre of the building represents a unique curvature change, with more than 7,000 cross-sectional views. The project also incorporated a complex steel structure, varied landscape paving, colourful glazed kiln tiles and the extensive use of new materials, processes and technologies.
Looking back on the project, Wan Renwei, director of China Construction First Group subsidiary the BIM Center, says that it was the ‘true application of digital construction technology’ and ‘full connection between design and construction’ that made the construction of this complex and unusually shaped building possible.
Huang Yong, chief engineer of China Construction First Division Group Huajiang Construction, says: ‘Without the simulation and emulation of digital technology, the modelling of unusual shapes based on Revit and the many applications of various 3D scanning technologies, this kind of masterful construction of unique and complex shapes would be difficult to achieve.’
Precision and artistry
To create the distinctive shape of the building’s curved arcade, the project team used BIM technology to carry out 3D modelling, carefully constructing a digital model of the curved keel, then numbering, dividing and laying it out.
To ensure precise changes in the curvature of the keel, the team used a string-laying robot to carry out precise checks. The project team used visual programming and modelling technology to design the formwork system of the cast-in-place structure and realised the automatic sorting of the embedded glazed tiles using BIM.
Through the use of Autodesk tools, including Revit and Navisworks, the 3D design results were applied to the automatic processing of the formwork and the glazed brick and site construction.
The team also verified and optimised the design plan through the comprehensive application of the model in depth, which ensured the precision of the curved surface, the feasibility of the design and the accuracy of construction.
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