The Rebirth of a Century-Old City｜Reigniting the Radiance of an Urban Living Room

百年老城的新生｜焕发城市客厅的光芒

The original structure of Tianjin Vanke Plaza, a four-story steel commercial building constructed in 2004, is located in the transitional zone between Tianjin's old and new city areas, approximately one kilometer from the core historical architectural cluster of the Five Great Avenues. The surrounding new urban area lacks character, with a group of unfinished buildings to the east creating a closed interface. The monotonous space and facade of the original building led to a gradual loss of vitality in the site and its surroundings. Thus, the project's challenge lies in responding to the transition between old and new urban areas, inheriting Tianjin's urban culture, and revitalizing the site and its adjacent urban spaces.

天津万科广场原建筑是2004年建造的四层钢结构商业建筑，位于天津老城与新城过渡区域，距离五大道核心历史建筑群约1公里，场地周边新城区缺乏调性，东侧紧邻一组烂尾楼，界面较封闭，且原建筑空间及立面单一乏味，导致场地及周边日渐失去活力。因此，项目的难点在于如何对新老城区过渡做出回应，如何传承天津城市文化，激活与复兴场地及周边城市空间。

A city's history leaves traces in its urban spaces. The unique taste, style, and sense of belonging inherent to Tianjin are embedded in the old city's exquisite architecture and pleasant spatial atmosphere. Unfortunately, these qualities have rapidly diminished in the process of modernization. Therefore, we proposed the concept of a 'Renaissance,' aiming to transcend the homogeneous spatial style under the contemporary wave of globalization through the renewal of Tianjin's historical context, creating a warm, refined space that conveys emotion and stories.

一个城市的历史，在城市的空间中留下痕迹。天津卫特有的品味，格调和归属感，蕴藏在老城里精致的建筑和宜人的场所氛围之中。但这些品质很遗憾地在现代化的进程中迅速地流失了。因此我们提出了“文艺复兴”这个概念，希望通过对历史天津文脉的传承更新，超越当代全球化风潮下单一而均质的空间风格，创造出一种温暖，精致，可以传达情感和故事的场所。

We introduced micro-urban spaces, breaking the original enclosed volume of the 'big box' to create a rich and belonging-filled 'urban living room.' We envision this space first as a community center, and then as a commercial hub.

我们引入微城市空间，打破大盒子原有的封闭体量，创造出丰富而有归属感的“城市客厅”。我们希望这里首先是一个社区中心，然后是一个商业中心。