If you have ever ventured between Kang Ding Road and Chang Ping Road, you might have noticed the prominent scaffolding poking high above the blue and white construction panels. In fact, if you are really observant, you might even have noticed the factory-shaped building behind the scaffolding beginning to take form. According to management company 800 Show Co. Ltd., this Summer 2009 will finally see the “800 Show” site unveiling. Following its imminent face-lift by German-based urban design company “logon”, the former steel factory complex will keep its rich history and much of its architecture but will take on a distinctly new purpose. The 14 buildings of the site that were built over 50 years and designed in different styles for different usages will be key elements of a new creative park. Historically, the site was comprised of the 120m long factory hall with its ornate wooden roof, of villas in the north dating back to 1920-30s and several office buildings in the south built in 1960-70s.

In December 2007, based on their multi-functional creative park business concept, logon was selected as winner of the international competition to renovate the former factory park, renamed “800 Show”.  Whereas traditionally, a creative park would serve one function, namely for creative offices, logon put forward a proposal to combine inter-related usages around the creative industry. The presented feasibility study revealed that a leisure offering could compliment the event hall, and the event hall could compliment the office space. The proposed design optimized event space using an impressive 80m of the factory hall for events. The design team boldly dragged the facade out to the road for passersby to peer in through the glass. As for the rest of the buildings, they were renovated with individual design in reminder of the individuality of original construction. Thanks to the combination of dynamic new creative purpose and design nestled in a historic building, a new identity emerges that cannot be simulated by ‘simply’ creating new architecture.
In light of the dynamic growth and fast pace of Shanghai’s Jing’ An district, logon sociologist and co-author of the book Creative Shanghai (to be released Autumn 2009) Pascal Hartmann states: “[This] quick development has a tendency to overlook the inherent social interaction needs of those inhabitants living in and around Jing’ An district, namely a ‘place with face’ and a ‘place with pause’. Based on this, we chose to protect the former 800 Show building, make it emblematic by highlighting new design and filling it with new purpose and identity.”

Once opened right onto Chang De Road, the former factory’s majestic glass facade becomes a clear landmark, branding the place (the 800 Show Creative Park) and giving it a strong new identity. As French architect Laurence Savy explains: “It thus becomes a place with a face. As the Eiffel Tower or the Oriental Pearl Tower are city branding for Paris and Shanghai, the emblematic hall becomes place branding for the 800 Show”. As for a “place with pause”, the 800 Show will combine culture, leisure and business activities integrating an intentional space for rest. This explains the partially shaded garden roof-tops, courtyards and open plazas.

So, you might ask, after place and face is created, what will the buildings serve as? As logon registered architect Han Zai Yu explains, once finished, the factory building will become an event hall, taking advantage of its long shape and dominant location for fashion shows, music performances and even car shows. The north facing villas on the one side of the main hall will serve as public places for exhibitions, galleries or dining venues. Finally, the complex at the south will become home to various creative industry offices, proudly boasting high beams, raw materials and remnants of the previous factory structure. By creating such identities for the 3 zones, the park indeed has a multifunction purpose, maximizing usage of the space throughout the day and night, weekdays and weekends.

Once the 800 Show Creative Park on Chang De Road is finished, it will be a strong statement as only creative park integrating an event hall in and around Jing’ An district. Following the transformation, the majestic glass entrance is a new focal point for the district, welcoming visitors into the park. Inside, it is a place where culture, leisure and office space interact in an environment rich in history yet fitting to the needs of today’s creative industry.

如果你途径康定路昌平路，你可能会注意到错落在蓝白施工带内的的脚手架。如果你再仔细观察，就不难发现隐藏在脚手架之后的工厂模样的建筑正初露端倪。从上海八佰秀企业管理有限公司处获悉，800秀将于2009年夏天正式向大众展示其庐山真面目。

随着德国背景的罗昂建筑设计公司渐渐揭开其神秘面纱，历经沧桑的钢铁加工厂将向大众展现其崭新的面貌，很多老建筑得以保留，并将被改造成功能各异的建筑。整个园区内共有14栋建筑，在过去的50年间先后建成使用，建筑风格各异，用途也不尽相同，是创意园区的重点改造元素。园区中最突出的无疑是长120米木结构屋面的大尺度厂房空间，其北面的别墅可追溯到20世纪20-30年代，南面的办公楼则陆续建成于20世纪60-70年代。

2007年12月，在多功能创意园区概念的引导下，罗昂成功赢得了改建旧厂房的国际竞赛，并且项目命名为“800秀”。然而区别于一般创意园区只服务于创意办公单一功能的特点，罗昂的作品结合了服务于创意产业的多种功能。针对创意产业的可行性研究表明如果将休闲，展览，办公功能同时实现在一个区域中，将能够产生良好的兼容互补作用。设计将具有惊人尺度的80米的厂房长廊优化作为展会大厅使用。设计团队大胆地将整个建筑的山墙打开直冲路边，路人将与其零距离接触。设计也充分利用了老建筑的特征，将其改造成兼具现代特色的建筑群。这是一个新型创意产业的复合体，在保留历史建筑精华的同时，创造出全新的园区形象，这不是简单的建筑原创，而是要通过新建筑这个载体，展示老建筑所积淀的历史光芒。

上海静安区正以飞快的脚步发展，Pascal Hartmann先生作为罗昂公司的社会学家，同时也是《创意上海》一书的联合作者（将于2009年秋发行）评论到：“城市的高速发展往往导致忽视普通市民回归本质生活的需求。800秀这个项目也正从另一个角度尝试弥补这一缺憾，这里将成为静安区的门面，也将是人们忘却快节奏生活，寻找生活本身乐趣的理想场所。”基于这个想法，800秀的设计以保护场地原有老建筑为原则，通过新的设计元素，赋予园区多种用途，同时强调其独特性和象征意义。

800秀在常德路上开放营业之后，老工厂绚丽的玻璃幕墙将成为这里一道独特的风景线，为园区树立品牌形象，突出其内在品质。法国建筑师Laurence Savy解释道：“800秀创意园区将成为该地区的门面。正如艾菲尔铁塔和东方明珠电视塔是巴黎和上海的地标性建筑一样，展会大厅在800秀园区内具有同样的象征意义”。至于说到这是一个理想的休闲场所，是因为园区集文化，休闲和商务活动于一体，这里有庭院，有树荫，有屋顶花园，有开放式广场，为人们所向往。

是的，你可能会问，这里是一个门面也是一个理想的休闲去处，但里面的建筑能提供哪些服务呢？罗昂公司一级注册建筑师韩再宇先生的回答是，该项目完成后，老的厂房长廊将成为一个展会大厅，充分利用其超长的进深和在园区内的突出位置优势，举办各类时装展示会，音乐盛典，甚至是汽车展。北面别墅区将被改造成展览，画廊和餐饮区域。南面的建筑群具有超高的梁柱结构从而创造出惊人的大空间尺度，原材料被再次使用，老工厂的结构也得以最大程度的保留，这些特点将吸引各类创意产业到此办公。园区的3个区域个性鲜明，无论是白天，晚上，工作日或双休日，这里都能满足人们各种不同的需求。