West Bund Dome Art Center: a former factory reborn as a cultural hub

Just a stone’s throw from the Huangpu River in downtown Shanghai stands the West Bund Dome Art Center, a place for the performing arts that also hosts sporting events.

Designed by Schmidt Hammer Lassen, the center is the result of the adaptive reuse of a domed structure inside China’s oldest concrete production facility. This renovated former factory has therefore been transformed from a place that mixed raw materials to a contemporary “multicultural blender.”

 

 

The project’s aim was to create a unique and flexible facility for hosting a range of international cultural activities, including art exhibitions, concerts, dance performances, and sporting events. Since it opened in September 2023, the West Bund Dome Art Center has hosted the opening performances of the Shanghai Urban Space Arts Season (SUSAS) and the tenth edition of the West Bund Art and Design Expo. It even served as the inspiration for Integrate, an immersive arts performance by choreographer Shen Wei.

 

West Bund Dome Art Center: a new life for a domed structure

 

The iconic domed steel structure has been painstakingly restored, combining traditional and modern elements. Its original orange color has been reinstated as a reference to the color of the tower cranes used in this area for loading ships. In response to the building’s repurposed requirements, the architects designed a new independent steel structure inside the existing one and distinguishable from it through the use of gray. The roof incorporates a new translucent polycarbonate panel system, which replaces the original opaque metal roofing.

Natural light filters through adjustable openings in the roof to illuminate the interior. As evening falls, the building transforms into a spectacular colored lantern.

 

Inside, a multifunctional circular space of almost 3000 m² is surrounded by flexible areas, including a foyer and viewing gallery on the third floor. At second floor level, the façade is composed of glass fiber reinforced concrete and decorative panels, both made of recycled glass, which give the building envelope a unique texture. A key focus of the renovation was sustainability, with ecological, low-carbon materials preferred.

The West Bund Dome Art Center has quickly become a focal point of the cultural life of Shanghai, attracting visitors from all over the world with its varied and high-quality programming. Inside, visitors are immersed in a stimulating atmosphere in which art and sport blend with modern, innovative exhibition spaces.

>>> Discover Schmidt Hammer Lassen’s design of Shanghai Library East.