Design Team: Zheng Na, Yao Yongmei, Sun Fanqi, Dou Yonghui, Zhang Fujun, Li Wenjie, Zhou Xiang, Wang Jingfei, Lu Yong, Chen Yu, Zhao Ping, Zhang Shuyan
The Yueyang Hualinggang Pier Tourist Center exemplifies the adaptive reuse of industrial heritage into a contemporary water transportation hub. Located within the Yueyang Port Industrial Heritage Park on the shores of Dongting Lake, the project transforms two former port administration buildings into a functional center for tourist ferries and yachts.
The design establishes a dialogue with its historical context, taking the nearby Cishi Pagoda, a Song-dynasty navigational lighthouse, as its visual and spiritual focal point. A new viewing platform connects the two structures, creating an expansive space for waiting and leisure. To address the local climate, a tensile membrane canopy supported by radially arranged arched steel frames shelters the platform. These “sails” provide essential cover while artfully framing views of the ancient pagoda, creating a visual connection across time between the historical landmark and this modern facility.
Functionally, the project extends beyond basic transit services. By integrating diverse programs such as a café, restaurant, and small theater, it becomes a vibrant social hub. Added stairways, terraces, and sculptural staircases transform circulation into a sequence of public activities, turning waiting areas into spaces for social interaction and scenic appreciation. Interior spaces are opened to natural light and views, while the juxtaposition of original brickwork, exposed concrete, and new steel structure preserves the site’s industrial memory.
This project successfully revitalizes an outdated industrial remnant into a dynamic new landmark, providing programmatic richness and compelling architecture to a park previously lacking waterfront amenities, and articulating Yueyang’s transformation from an industrial age to an eco-cultural epoch. This demonstrates that transportation infrastructure can also serve as a cultural catalyst.
Credits:
Project Location: Yueyang, Hunan Province
Design Period: 2024
Construction Period: 2024-2025
Site Area: 2,682㎡
Floor Area: 1,624㎡
Client: Yueyang Tianxia Dongting Water Tourism Development Co., Ltd.
Collaborators:
CCCC Wuhan Harbour Engineering Design & Research Co., Ltd. (Construction Documents)
Beijing Master Structural Design Co., Ltd. (Structural Consultant)
Toryo International Lighting Design Center (Lighting Consultant)
Construction: Hunan Province Eighth Engineering Co., Ltd.
Photographer: TAL
