Neri&Hu’s new factory in Jiaxing aims to be much more than a production site

The inter-disciplinary architectural design practice based in Shanghai Neri&Hu has revealed its proposal for a new factory for Camerich, the global furniture brand, in Jiaxing, China. This project aims to be a meeting point between industry and culture and overlooks the ancient canal of 500 B.C. that connected Beijing and Hangzhou, supporting both economic development and cultural growth.

The design team has explored the essence of the factory in a globally connected, post-industrial world, arriving to create a “Pastoral Monument”, this is the title of the project, a vibrant stroke among the vast, once-rural landscape, almost a second horizon, similar to land art movement artworks.

The design of the factory appears persistent and evocative at the same time, thanks to the use of red cement and the series of structural elements that are repeated. To the north, the volume grows gently, reaching a height of ten floors and giving rise to a series of terraces. The facade, then, presents an articulated game of beams and posts, as if the productive spaces inside are imprinted on the façade. This choice in fact underlines the solidity and commitment of the factory in a world that is changing faster and faster.