MVRDV has completed the Gate M West Bund Dream Center, converting a disused cement factory on Shanghai’s West Bund into a lively culture and leisure district.
The project unites a collection of industrial remnants and unfinished buildings into a cohesive urban space, reusing existing structures to minimise carbon emissions and introducing bright orange circulation elements to establish a distinctive identity.
Offering spaces for shopping, dining, skateboarding, rock climbing, exhibitions and events – as well as riverside relaxation – the area has already become a popular destination for Shanghai residents and visitors.
© Xia Zhi 夏至
The site was once home to the Shanghai Cement Factory, at one time Asia’s largest cement producer. Following the 2010 Shanghai Expo, the factory was relocated as part of efforts to make the banks of the Huangpu River accessible. Before its transformation, the area comprised both monumental industrial structures and incomplete constructions from a failed development attempt.
MVRDV created the masterplan for the entire Dream Center and designed the southern half of the site, including the centrepiece, the M Factory. The northern commercial buildings were designed by Atelier Deshaus, while Schmidt Hammer Lassen contributed the West Bund Dome Art Centre and the new Shanghai West Bund Theatre.
© Xia Zhi 夏至
“It was clear from the start that there was a lot of value leftover in the buildings that were already there – we didn’t want to demolish things just because it might be simpler, because that means more carbon, more waste,” said MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs. “Our challenge was to bring these pieces together and make them work as a single area.”
© Sanqian Visual Image Art 三千影像
The preserved industrial silos and factory halls now serve as focal points, emphasised by bold orange staircases and elevator shafts. Inside the M Factory, the lower floor hosts BLOOMARKET, combining a food market with fine dining, while the upper floor offers a vast column-free cultural venue for exhibitions, conferences, and performances.
© Tian Fangfang 田方方
A silo building has been adapted into a climbing centre, with external routes leading to viewing platforms and a balcony. Surrounding unfinished structures have been completed as shops, restaurants, and hotels, with neutral façades, green roofs, and outdoor terraces. Landscape design by Field Operations activates the riverside setting.
The project has already won multiple awards, including the China Urban Renewal Annual Award, the Shanghai Excellent Urban Regeneration Projects Awards, and the IDEAT China Future Awards.
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Cover image: Sanqian Visual Image Art 三千影像
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