I wander thro’ each charter’d street – Inquiries into Psychogeography by Group 2
The Transition of a space from one use to another undergirds much of psychogeography’s preoccupation
By Mingyang Gao
I researched some situations where have undergone great changes in different periods in Shanghai, and I have noticed some changes that have been brought to society by economic consciousness, politics or culture.
His 4 story Massive Solid concrete maze Slaughterhouse built in early twenteeth century is maybe the one single thing that’s the most inspiring architecture standing in Shanghai and even in the world. I am totally impressed.Located in the historic Hongkou District, 1933 Shanghai (上海1933老场坊) was built amidst the vibrant urban landscape of pre-communist Shanghai. Designed originally by British architects, and built in 1933 by Chinese developers, the building was originally intended for use as a slaughterhouse but served a number of purposes over the years from medicine factory, cold storage facility, to its current incarnation as a ‘commercial hub for creative industries’, such as Fashion show, press conference, new product release conference, intellectual property rights exchange meeting, mini concert, meet & greet, TV program production. And this is the last one left such built out of 3, one in London and one in US, but they are demolished by now.The building was commissioned by the then Shanghai Municipal Council with the high-quality cement aggregate required to support the load-bearing needs of the building was imported from the Portsmouth area of the UK. After being abandoned and falling into disrepair the building was extensive restoration in 2008. Built around a central atrium, which served as the abattoir’s workshops, each floor is connected to an outer shell by a series of interlocking ramps, bridges, and spiral staircases which were designed to control the flow of both people and cattle being processed through the building.
It was built to reflect the growth of the city – as the population grew, people got richer, they ate more meat, which meant more cows and it was the largest slaughterhouse in the Far East.