The 500-square-meter former storage hall for granulated sugar, now dubbed "Bonbon Town," is located on the former Yu Lan Sugar Factory grounds in an up-and-coming industrial district of Zhangzhou, China. Tasked to transform the storage building with little to no daylight into an event venue with sufficient sunlight, we placed a series of curated white volumes, functioning as daylight cannons while providing room to fulfill the new program requirements.

Interventions on the exterior of the building are minimal. It was one of the first cost-saving decisions we had to make. Although we worked with a small construction budget, we could realize the spatial transformations as imagined by saving on the cost of MEP equipment and installation. We developed a tailored passive cooling strategy for the ample main space without using conventional air conditioning to address Zhangzhou's hot and humid summers. 

Since we did not have the funds for a dynamic airflow simulation, we had to rely on best practice assumptions. New large-scale windows modeled after the original timber pivot windows bring a new sense of permeability to the building and allow natural ventilation. Large fan units placed at the top of the eight new skylights constantly extract hot air creating a low-velocity airflow within the facility. Additional ceiling fans support the constant flow of air. Several long vertical slot openings inserted into the brick walls provide continuous ventilation.

Our client has confirmed that the passive cooling concept has been working even on days with outside temperatures well above 30 degrees celsius. Conventional air conditioning is installed in the kitchen area and the washrooms. Additional air conditioning outlets are integrated on the inner side of the bridge, as well as the ceiling of the garden lounge to semi-cool down the office and lounge area on hot days. The ducts had to be realized within a very slim ceiling package to realize a two-story building volume with sufficient clear heights. 

Shortly after the project went on-site, covid restrictions in the region of Fujian and Zhangzhou made it impossible for us to visit the construction site. So our client had six internet cameras installed, enabling us to review the site's progress remotely and daily. In addition, we implemented a routine where the contractor had to submit a daily site report. Without an additional local site architect, but with the help of our very committed client, we managed to complete the project. 

Apart from the main steel structure, we decided to order all the materials and fittings on China's largest internet marketplace Taobao, since we could not check on the materials, the hardware, and the fittings the contractor would have sourced locally. However, the 1500 kg heavy steel table, which serves as a pop-up store for flowers, was made at a local metal workshop.