In Yangpu Riverside, once the site of the Yangshupu power plant, the riverside area has been transformed into a park, where citizens can stroll and enjoy coffee. Near the Yangshupu water plant, a trestle has been constructed for citizens to admire the architecture up close. Good design should respect the past, continue historical context, reflect the present, and thereby anticipate the future, achieving "layered growth." The method of integrating historical buildings into the daily lives of citizens exemplifies the concept of the People’s City at Yangpu Riverside.

Zhang Ming, Director of the Landscape Architecture Department at Tongji University and Chief Architect of Tongji Architectural Design Group, has walked the 5.5-kilometer southern section of Yangpu Riverside countless times. “Building a city upon a city” is his important philosophy in designing the southern section of Yangpu Riverside. Once, a former employee of the Yangshupu Power Plant, upon encountering Zhang Ming in the park, expressed his excitement and nostalgia: “Professor Zhang, I worked in the plant my whole life. Now, walking here brings back those days.”

When public space intersects with the protection of cultural relics, how can we “revitalize” these architectural relics without turning them into “living fossils”? Recently, at the Shanghai Yangpu Lifestyle Show Belt National Cultural Relic Protection and Utilization Demonstration Zone Results Exhibition, a series of revitalization cases of cultural relic buildings by Zhang Ming's team were showcased. Zhang believes, “Architectural relics are different from other cultural relics; they should not be protected in display cases like exhibits. They need to integrate into and mutually empower their environments.”

"Renewing the Banks" is Zhang Ming's summary of the urban waterfront space renaissance – just as our forebears stood at the junction of land and water, longing to establish a close relationship with nature, today's people yearn for waterfront space revitalization to bring about rejuvenation to the city.

In the process of tracing history, designers become like "archaeologists."

The Huangpu River has nurtured the growth story of modern Shanghai and is the lifeline of urban development. The comprehensive development of both sides of the Huangpu River has ushered Shanghai into a new stage of urban development.

Based on the understanding of Yangpu Riverside's past and present, Zhang Ming proposes the concept of "centering on industrial heritage to create a continuous 5.5-kilometer industrial heritage exposition belt." At the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, where pavilions were arranged along the river, the glamorous transformation of industrial heritage was already evident in his designs.

“Any construction act of yours is not on a blank slate, but on the existing environment to build a new city,” Zhang Ming remarked.

A project close to Zhang Ming's heart was one of the five main theme pavilions at the time, the Urban Future Exploration Pavilion. Its predecessor was the main plant building of the Shanghai Nanshi Power Plant, established in 1897. Transforming the traditional coal-fired power plant into a green energy center, Zhang Ming used "green" to turn the century-old power plant's rust into vitality. The traditional coal-fired power generation units and numerous auxiliary facilities were preserved as industrial civilization memory clues.

Committed to organic urban renewal and the transformation and reuse of existing buildings and built environments, Zhang Ming is adept at summarizing concepts into phrases that convey the value of cultural relic protection, such as "following the veins subtly" and "turning to history for renewal." He understands that promoting and forming values is even more meaningful than completing a significant design.

The Huangpu River Riverside connectivity project spans 45 kilometers and involves several administrative districts. What is the most distinctive feature of the Yangpu Riverside section? 

"History is not a fragment; it's a process that moves from the past to the present and from the present to the future. Hence, we must recognize and appreciate the valuable information left behind from different historical stages," says designer Zhang Ming, who becomes like an "archaeologist" when tracing history among industrial heritages. He is committed to uncovering the stories and values that have unfolded on the site. "If we compare history from different eras to a series of old photographic negatives, our task is not to remove these old negatives and develop new ones. Instead, we overlay the new negatives on the old ones, using this layering effect to showcase the richness in space, texture, and history."

Zhang Ming summarizes this approach of delving into the context of a location as "following the veins subtly" – "A cultural relic building site is akin to an archaeological site. One must understand the intricacies before proceeding, carefully excavating layer by layer. This is akin to the intricate workmanship required in urban renewal."

Unlike traditional archaeologists, Zhang Ming's focus is on the location (place), not just the physical site. "The concept of location is tied to human spiritual activity and emotional value. When assessing the value of a building, we consider not only its social, cultural, physical, and ecosystem values but also its emotional significance."

In the Urban Design Studio of Tongji University Architectural Design and Research Institute (Group) Co., Ltd., where Zhang Ming presides, hang two phrases, "Respect History for Practical Use" and "Innovate with History," which summarize Zhang's guiding principles. "‘Respect History for Practical Use,' handwritten by Mr. Liang Sicheng, means utilizing the past for the present. 'Innovate with History' is my proposition. In the new era, how can cultural relic buildings be revitalized through renovation? The best way to extend their life and enhance their cultural value is to reintegrate them into daily life." 

"Anchoring and Drifting": The Artistic Expression of Industrial Heritage Breaks Through Imagination

During this year's City Space Art Season, visitors to the Yangshupu Power Plant Heritage Park encountered a rain garden and a purified water café. These emerged from two pits left behind after dismantling the circular water storage structure, bearing witness to the site’s texture and industrial production history.

Yangshupu Power Plant, once the largest thermal power plant in the Far East and renowned as the "Cradle of China's Electric Power Industry," originated from the Shanghai Electric Company established in 1882. It began construction in 1911 and started supplying electricity in 1913, making it one of the world's earliest power plants.

In accordance with energy conservation and emission reduction requirements, Yangshupu Power Plant shut down its generators in 2010 and started its ecological and artistic transformation in 2015.

The simplest method to turn waterfront space into public space is demolition and starting anew on a blank slate. However, this approach severs historical continuity and loses the direction of heritage. The Yangshupu Power Plant was once the city's pride. How could it dignify its historical mission and return to urban life? After "following the veins subtly," Zhang Ming chose to "anchor" and "drift." "Anchoring" means selectively preserving characteristic elements of the industrial heritage and transforming them for use.

"After surveying the site, our team proactively compiled a preservation list with 12 significant structures and mechanical devices, including a 105-meter chimney, a riverside crane, a coal trestle, conveyor belts, a clear water pool, an ash warehouse…" Zhang Ming recalls.

These industrial structures once drew an invisible boundary between the factory area and the citizens’ living space, obstructing the river view and causing an avoidance effect.

The ecological logic of the rain garden involves planting water-purifying plants, laying pebbles at the bottom, and using it to store rainwater during heavy rains, then slowly releasing it into the municipal network. Visitors in the café can gaze at the sky and the iconic chimney through the open dome.

The "drifting" after "anchoring" refers to creating high-quality, poetic spaces for citizens, in line with contemporary needs and resonating with people's aspirations for a better life. When the power plant's restricted area transforms into a public space, "returning the river to the people" is realized.

The Pump Pit Art Space, Ash Warehouse Art Space, Coal Bucket Pavilion... The artistic expression of industrial heritage surpasses imagination. Encountering Zhang Ming in the park, a former power plant worker emotionally remarked, "Professor Zhang, I worked here all my life. Walking here now, I am reminded of those days." The site's historical witness becomes an emotional bond between people and architecture, linking the "rustic texture" to a poetic dwelling.

The Yangshupu Power Plant Heritage Park project, led by Zhang Ming, won one of the three awards at the 11th Rosa Barba Prize.

The return of the industrial heritage is warmly received by the citizens. Zhang Ming believes this embodies the essence of cultural relic protection. "Yangshupu Power Plant is not only an industrial heritage but also a cultural relic. If we regard it as a living entity, it too would be comforted by such a transformation." 

"Subtlety Connects Without Stealing the Spotlight": The Century-Old Water Plant Embarks on a New Youth

Visitors to Yangpu Riverside are inevitably drawn to a structure resembling an "English castle." With its clear water brick walls accented by red brick belts, it hardly seems like a factory. This is the longest "break" in the continuity of Yangpu Riverside – the Yangshupu Water Plant, built in 1883. Located west of the Puxi section of Yangpu Bridge, it is the nation's first modernized water plant, where Li Hongzhang once opened the gates to release water.

Although Yangshupu Water Plant is a "break" in the landscape, it remains "alive" – its water production workshops continue to operate, servicing nearly three million citizens. In 2013, it was designated as a key national cultural relic protection unit. "It was challenging to traverse over or inside it. It even represented the biggest break in the entire Huangpu River riverside connectivity project," Zhang Ming realized, which led him to consider a trestle as a solution.

But where to position the trestle? Placing it over the top would disrupt the cultural relic's skyline. Setting it parallel to the flood wall outside would consume water area, affecting the river's width. He also considered connecting barges to form a "floating bridge," but management would be quite difficult.

If a bridge couldn't be built, should citizens detour along Yangshupu Road? Eventually, Zhang Ming utilized the top space of the foundational infrastructure to achieve the trestle's continuity. "For the transformation, we needed to install anti-collision pillars outside the flood wall to protect the water pipes. We utilized the top space of these pillars to construct a 500-meter-long water trestle. The trestle, colored in gray wood, appears subtle, harmoniously coexisting with the castle-style water plant. Some suggested the trestle follow the water plant's castle style, but I disagreed. New elements should be distinguishable from cultural relic buildings, without overshadowing or upstaging them. That's the true respect for cultural relics," Zhang Ming explains, embodying the philosophy of honoring the old without replicating it, and maintaining integrity without stagnation.

This profound respect for cultural relics also enhances the readability of the architecture. The open riverside, "within arm's reach," and the warmth of the waterfront space, "at your fingertips," are brought closer by the trestle, providing citizens a pathway to closely appreciate the cultural relic buildings. "Before, tourists could only see it when passing by boat or looking from across the river, but definitely not clearly. Now, whether they're walking or jogging along the river, they can enjoy the view." Thus, cultural relic buildings no longer seem aloof but are integrated into the lives of the citizens.

"Seemingly 'Useless' Open Shared Spaces: A City's Indulgence Towards Its People"

Among the industrially preserved heritages in Yangpu Riverside, not every building is a recognized cultural relic, such as Green Hills.

Today's popularity of Green Hills makes it hard to believe that it was once an ordinary industrial building, nearly demolished. Its precursor was a tobacco company’s machine repair warehouse, built in 1995. "When we visited, we learned that its demolition had already been planned as part of the overall site's development, with construction vehicles almost ready to enter. This was because Anpu Road was scheduled to cut through its location according to the city's road plan."

But Zhang Ming found a reason to preserve the building. "I suggested, since the riverside's shoreline was too 'flat,' could it be transformed into a three-dimensional garden without affecting the city road passing through? The district's Riverside Office and Riverside Investment and Development Company then asked if I could develop a plan for it."

On the drawings submitted by Zhang Ming's team, everyone saw that the building was diagonally cut towards the direction of Lujiazui and also cut at the back towards the riverside, reducing its volume by 50%. Thus, ascending the building felt like crossing over hills, alleviating the oppressive feeling of being too close to the river. The building's height was reduced from 30 meters to 24 meters, marking the boundary between high-rise and multi-story buildings.

"A building without a recognized status is unprotected, but that doesn't mean it's valueless. In the position of Green Hills and its relationship with the city road, we chose to resolve it with a more complex and humane approach," said Zhang Ming.

When Green Hills finally materialized, people discovered that its rear part was planned green space, extending directly to the waterfront. Anpu Road crosses through the first floor of the building, with the second floor designed as an overhead space for pedestrian passage. On the tiered platforms, sunken tree pools surround a parasol tree among 34 maple trees. During the Double Ninth Festival, this becomes a prime spot for Yangpu residents to ascend and gaze at Yangpu Bridge and Lujiazui.

"People walking along the river suddenly find a double helix staircase to ascend. At the top, a U-shaped walkway offers a 270-degree view. This is a response to history, the site environment, and human behavior," Zhang Ming recollects. "One day, the architectural critic Zhou Rong came by. He saw people wandering aimlessly on Green Hills, their faces lit with pleasure. He felt that the city, by leaving such a seemingly 'useless' open shared space for its citizens, was, in fact, Shanghai's way of indulging its residents."

With a sense of mission, Zhang Ming firmly believes that new architectural environments are not rootless or baseless. "We respect traditional cultural relic buildings and the splendid history they created, but we still have a contemporary mission to create an architectural environment for today. It has journeyed through history to the present, and as designers, our pursuit is to make it go even further in the future."