sculptural pavilion revives old factory area in vietnam, inviting visitors to wander and explore

weplay’s LỘ exhibition invites people to interact

weplay — a group of young, pioneering, and enthusiastic vietnamese artists, transformed an old factory area in ha noi, vietnam, into a vivid exhibition space. LỘ exhibition invites people to interact, share their experiences, foster knowledge and participate in various artistic activities. through a long creative journey, the visitors will be able to see and explore numerous exhibits that stand in each route and to enjoy talks and performances that will take place after. following the dark passages with the exhibits, visitors reach an organic-shaped pavilion wrapped in a transparent mesh, that opens towards the sky.

the architects sought to preserve and revitalize the industrial heritage by the integration of public art space. the area chosen by the group of young artists and architects is a conscious juxtaposition of steel structure blocks, voids, and courtyards.all images courtesy of truong phan an and thuyen bui

organic-shaped pavilion plays with light and shadow 

LỘ exhibition organized by weplay is divided into two sections; the artwork displaying, and the event area. these two spaces are connected with a floating bridge, while in between the architects built a sculptural structure; a series of metal interconnected half wreaths clad with bamboo fences — connected vertically with metal supports — assemble an organic-shaped pavilion where visitors can wander, explore and interact. the gentle material that clothes the metal skeleton, allows artificial light to penetrate when it gets dark, forming shadows and revealing its interior.

‘hanoi is participating in UNESCO creative cities network. the industrial development period in hanoi after 1975 witnessed a significant number of factories based within the city center. however, many of them have been relocated recently because of their inactive status. due to extremely high estate values, there has been a change in terms of land use as these properties now are used for commercial, service and new urban areas.’ said the architects. 

‘we then need to rethink these factories as an industrial heritage instead of a typical land plot in the city.’

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project info:

name: LỘ exhibition

architects: weplay

design team: nham chi kien, nguyen hong quang, le quang thach

location: ha noi, vietnam

project year: 2021

dates: from 9 to 15 april

photography: truong phan an and thuyen bui
film by : phuong minh tien