The first UK-China forum on Industrial Heritage Reuse and Regeneration took place at The Building Centre on the 29th April. The forum was a great success as it brought together leaders in the movement for Industrial Regeneration in both China and the UK, creating collaboration and business opportunities between the two countries.

Leading experts, Peter Runacres, Senior Project Director at Argent Development Company, Jason Syrett, Director at Allies and Morrison, and John McAslan (CBE), Executive Chairman at John McAslan +Partners provided a unique insight into the King’s Cross Station regeneration project. Also, Barry Sellers, principle planner of Wandworth Council, Eric Holding, Strategy Director at John Thompson & Partners, Jim Eyre (OBE), Director of Wilkinson Eyre Architects, and Tim Boyd, Director of Michaelis Boyd Associates, spoke about the regeneration of the iconic Battersea Power Station.

Assistant Dean of Jangho Architecture School, Wei Gu, spoke about the opportunities and challenges of industrial heritage in northeast China, and Professor Wenshang Wang, of Tongji University Architecture Design Institute gave a talk on re-using industrial buildings in Shanghai, giving examples such as the transformation of a power station into a contemporary art gallery.  Founder director of DC Alliance Architecture, Gang Ping, discussed how to achieve ‘glocal’ design in China, and how to work with traditional heritage to create places for Chinese living in the 21st century. 

The forum came to a close after 14 Chinese delegates took a eight-day tour of some of the UK’s key regeneration projects in London, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool.

China Design Centre is commissioned by Qingdao Textile Base Development Company to be their ambassador in the UK, to help identify UK experts from different disciplines, and potentially organise workshop to support them. The project was introduced in the forum and exhibited in the China Design Centre. 

The textile industry is one of Qingdao’s major traditional industries. Built on the old Fifth National Cotton Textile factory in Qingdao’s central area, "Textile Base" is aiming to explore a new model of industrial upgrading and regeneration in the 21st century. The site covers an area of 12 ha, with large amount of spacious textile manufactory buildings to work with. “Textile Base” is committed to be a 'textile themed modern and creative industrial base' bringing together the elements from culture, fashion, design, science and research, and textile trading. We invite you to let us know your expertise or send us case studies for this project by emailing.