Neri&Hu Design and Research Office . photos: © Runzi Zhu . © DONG
Our design for a new mixed-use creative development is located in the heart of Dalian in close proximity to university campuses and software parks. The existing compound comprises 6 buildings dating back 40 years, which formerly served as offices, warehouses, and dormitories for a chemical research institute. Our design challenge was to find an architectural language that could unify the buildings which all have varying heights and distinct facades which have undergone previous renovation efforts. The most prominent building within the site is a former workers dormitory featuring a series of wooden gates and garage stalls used for repairs in the past.
The concept behind The Yard stems from a reflection on the project’s context, situated in a hidden and introverted locus within the city; a small haven of a soon to be forgotten urban memory. As an adaptive reuse project, the aim is to transform the compound into a destination to serve the local community and student population. Its programming consists of galleries, lifestyle retail, hospitality, cinema, theater, and office space. The former dormitory has been converted into an office. A small library designed near the entrance greets guests and is accessible to the general public.
The existing buildings, arranged in a U-shaped configuration, were introverted in nature and oriented towards a large empty parking lot. Our scheme completes the U-shaped figure by transforming it into an enclosed courtyard articulated by a new spatial system of walls, screens and canopies. Drawing inspiration from Chinese gardens, we celebrate the compound’s hidden nature as a contemplative space offering refuge from urban cacophony. The continuous figure envelopes the plaza to create a sense of privacy, framing a large rock feature, and acts as a secondary facade layer which mediates between old and new.
The tactile material palette is kept minimal and raw to complement the existing stucco facades. Corten steel is used as the main surface material given its relevance as an industrial material which weathers and changes, recording the progression of time. Interior design strategy celebrates the tension between new and old; new plaster finishes juxtaposed with partially exposed brick and structural elements create a dialogue between past and present.
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The Yard
Dalian Cultural Center
Site Address: Dalian, China
Year of Completion: 2025
Client: Dalian Chuanshi Yiju Business Management Co., Ltd. – The Yard
Project Type: Architecture, Interior
Program: Retail, Office, Restaurant, Library, Gallery, Cinema, Theater
Gross area: 4,631 sqm
Site area: 9,800 sqm
Partners-in-charge: Lyndon Neri, Rossana Hu
Associate-in-charge: Zhao Lei
Design team: Ivy Feng, Wenbo Da, Christine Chang, Siyu Chen, Susana Sanglas, Feiteng Feng, Haiou Xin, Ziyang Lin, Lyuqitiao Wang, Greg Wu
Architecture design: Neri&Hu Design and Research Office
Interior design: Neri&Hu Design and Research Office
Consultants:
LDI: Zhongdi Design Group Co., Ltd.
Lighting: Linea Light (China) Co., Ltd.
Hangzhou ROLEDS Technology Co., Ltd.
Contractors:
General Contractor: Dalian Qian Sheng Feng Design Engineering Co., Ltd.
Special Features: Architecture, Corten steel facade, Brick base, Big rock landscape, Courtyard landscape
Architectural – Materials: Corten steel, Old brick, Blackened steel, Clear glass, Sleek window
