A view of a part of the northern area of OCT-LOFT in Nanshan District. Courtesy of OCT-LOFT
AS one of the first batch of cartoonists in Shenzhen, Xiniudage, whose real name is Liu Wei, likes to come to OCT-LOFT for inspiration and feels most relaxed when he drinks coffee and writes under the shade of the trees.
“It’s interesting to watch the park transform from an old industrial plant into a cultural complex, just like watching a child grow from childhood to youth,” Liu told Shenzhen Evening News.
OCT-LOFT, located in Nanshan District, was transformed from an industrial park dating back to the 1980s. It used to house nearly 60 industrial companies in the early stage of reform and opening up.
In the late 1990s, as Shenzhen ushered in industrial transformation and upgrading, the industries in the park moved out one by one, resulting in a large area of idle and abandoned old factories.
In August 2004, the park’s renovation was officially launched. OCT Group creatively put forward the idea of transforming the area into a creative industry park according to the factory buildings’ architectural characteristics and the government’s guidelines for cultural and creative industries.
The park’s original architectural form and historical traces had been preserved when the old factory buildings were transformed into workshops for creative industries. Meanwhile, a more vibrant industrial economy has emerged from the renovation.
Now, OCT-LOFT has gathered many studios from creative industries and became artists’ “garden of inspiration.”
Over 70% of the park’s businesses are related to cultural creativity and design, and nearly 300 creative design companies as well as cultural and art institutions have moved into the park, according to the News.
This year, the B10 factory building renovation project in the park’s northern area was completed. During the renovation of what was once a disc factory, the design team followed the same strategy – almost all the components of the building were preserved, and all historical traces were respected.
“Transformation and operation are equally important for us,” said Xu Qian, director of the park’s operator, adding that the park’s transformation was not achieved in one go.
After over 10 years of conscious and planned step-by-step transformation and operation, it has gradually transformed from an old industrial park into an artistic creative community that integrates exhibition, catering, creative workshops and leisure, according to Xu. (Shenzhen Daily)
