The cooling tower in Tangshan stands as both an industrial icon and a repository of collective memories. Our project aims to repurpose this tower, extending its life both spatially and in communal recollections. Our design aspires to serve as a model for sustainable approaches to organically revitalize industrial remnants.
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Memory of Vapor – Cooling Tower Renovated into Bathhouse
Public Building (Concept)
Firm
bOcA Studio
Architect/Designer
Zhiyu Li
Design Team
Ziyang Xu, Yutan Sun, Lanchun Zeng
Location
Tangshan, China
Country
United States
Photographer/Copyright
©Zhiyu Li, Ziyang Xu, Yutan Sun, Lanchun Zeng
Positioned as a pivotal node in the landscape axis, the tower undergoes a transformation by integrating an empty box into the original structure, thereby making it accessible to the public. This void becomes the city’s living room, seamlessly integrating the tower’s internal scenery into the urban landscape.
The verticality of the cooling tower necessitates a strategic use of space. Internally, an empty box is placed to preserve the hollow volume, creating an open and inviting public space. Externally, a new translucent and operable skin, along with enhanced vertical circulation, revitalizes the cooling tower’s dynamic and lively urban image.
To evoke a ‘wet memory,’ we propose transforming the tower into a bathhouse. The intimate community relationships from the last century impart a social attribute to bathing, turning it into a communal activity that fosters connection. The bathhouse, intricately tied to the industrial context on an urban scale, responds to the site’s memory while actively engaging in ecological microclimate cycles. This is achieved by improving water recycling systems, incorporating sunlight-filtering mechanisms, and enhancing air circulation.
The new operable facade panels serve multiple functions. They deftly convert direct sunlight into a gentle, diffused glow, while guiding rainwater to adjacent flower beds when opened. This dual functionality not only nourishes surrounding vegetation but also optimizes microscopic water circulation. The innovative design ensures breathability, promoting effective ventilation in the promenade area. This nuanced approach enhances overall functionality and elevates the architectural ensemble’s aesthetic appeal.
The introduction of these features ensures that the cooling tower is not just preserved but actively contributes to its environment. The building’s transformation into a bathhouse brings a new lease on life, reimagining it as a hub of social and ecological activity. The project leverages the historical significance of the tower while integrating modern sustainability practices, ensuring its relevance for future generations.
This reflective nostalgia infuses the remaining city images from the industrial age with renewed vitality, weaving the memory of a generation back into the city narrative. The bathhouse design, with its ties to the industrial past and its forward-looking ecological features, creates a bridge between the past and the future. By repurposing the cooling tower in this manner, the project not only preserves an important piece of Tangshan’s history but also revitalizes it, ensuring that it continues to be a living part of the city’s landscape for decades to come.