The industrial heritage of Qinhuangdao West Harbor District (Xigang) is an important part of the master plan of Qinhuangdao, and has become a "national business card" of this century-old port. As a first-phase key project in the starting-area of the construction of an international tourism port by Hebei Port Group, the Qinhuangdao West Harbor Garden covers an area of more than 300 acres. Its main aim is to create a world class multi-functional coastal urban district by making full use of the environment of the existing industrial site, and industrial transformation and upgrading.
The original site of the project was a small auditorium in the Harbor. The Shanfangzhu design team focused on the background of the project, thoroughly studied the layout, positioning, natural environment and history of this area, and overcame the difficulties of the project: the layering and combination of multiple functions.
For designers, the purer the spatial function, the more precise the design language. However, this time the design team broke the rules and employed a new design language for Angel Bay Book Cafe. They put forward a core humanistic concept: the century-old port is not only a carrier of memories of the past, but also an embodiment of the present, and a starting point to the future.
With endless possibilities, the design team unfolded the design concept: considering the past, present and future of the project, taking into account its industrial architectural characteristics in the past, the space requirements of a book cafe at the present, and the possibilities for bars and dining bars in the future. In the hustle and bustle of a prosperous port, Angel Bay Book Cafe provides a tranquil space for people to enjoy the fragrance of books and coffee before they set off on a journey.
Deep in the heart of Van Gogh, he had a great longing "to paint a bookshop with the front yellow and pink, in the evening, and the black passers-by". Although there is no yellow and pink front, the designers specifically kept the original industrial style of the building and strengthened it through the combination of brick red and dark brown. This combination enables the building to carry on its regional characteristics, and precipitates cultural memories on it.
This is a place to depart, and also a home to return to; it is a beginning of the future, and also a heritage of the past; it is the reunion with friends, and also their own encounters. Read in peace, and seek peace in life, with the blue sea in the distance, with you in Angel Bay Book Cafe.
IAI Interior Bronze Award
Winners：Liu Yujie
China
