Renovation of Foshan Guanyao Culture and Art Center / Greyspace Architects

In the Foshan Guanyao Cultural and Art Center (Guanyao Sanbao) project, the architects adopted an approach of comprehensive restoration to its original state, combined with localized micro-renovations, in order to preserve the character of the original street block. At the same time, they incorporated spatial cues themed around "ceramics" to provide a spatial foundation for curators, artists, and operators, ultimately realizing the vision of development of related business format and revitalizing the district through ceramic art. At the beginning of 2023, ceramic artist Li Jianshen selected a relatively inconspicuous cluster of buildings on the north side of Yiyuan West Road in Guanyao Town, Nanhai District, Foshan, as the future site of the Guanyao Cultural and Art Center. At that time, every building and object within the site seemed as though it had been sealed away for years, quietly awaiting rediscovery.