Qian Hai Creative Youth E-Dream Factory @ Qian Hai

Qian Hai Creative Youth Entrepreneurship Dream Factory

Qian Hai Shenzhen Hong Kong Youth Innovation Entrepreneur Hub is located in the Centre of Qian Hai, the Shenzhen Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone of Shenzhen occupying a Site Area of 580,000 s.q. ft with a total GFA of 280,000 s.q. ft. The large scale project is a collaboration between Qian Hai Authority, Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups and the China Communist Youth League Shenzhen Committee. The dynamic hub will provide a modern, spacious and functional platform with 8 purposeful buildings including Convention and Exhibition Hall, Academy, Youth Dormitory, Three blocks of Incubations, Multi-Purposes Center, Data Center and a Dynamic Sports Park. The state-of-art master planning with a simple touch of “BLACK, WHITE & GREY” Architectural Settings to express the metaphor of a purely white painting canvas, allowing the youth to create their own bright colourful future. As stated by the Qian Hai Authority, “the E-Hub will provide a platform to explore the concept of gathering talent from Hong Kong and Shenzhen”. It will be stunning mega project to serve Shenzhen, Hong Kong as well as International youths to actualize their dreams in the realm of finance, business, banking, professional services, multi-media & creative industry.

In general, the Spatial Design and Originality from the overall architectural design echoes the elements of Dream.

Dream seems to be unattainable, yet it represents unlimited possibilities and opportunities to youngsters. What they need is a platform to fulfill their dreams. The Qian Hai Creative Youth Entrepreneurship Dream Factory (“The Dream Factory”) is a place for youngsters to accomplish their innovative ideas and extend beyond their possibilities.

Through interactive exchange of ideas, it allows youth entrepreneurs to attain Unification of Diversification. It creates a platform where creative and talented minds from all over the world can exchange ideas and to turn unpractical dreams into sustainable industries.

The Overall Design Concept is based on the following four elements:

1. The Meaning of Qian Hai in relations to Shenzhen & PRC
2. The Meaning of Qian Hai Creative Youth Entrepreneurship Dream Factory
3. The Role of Qian Hai Creative Youth Entrepreneurship Dream Factory in Qian Hai
4. The Elements of “Dreams”

The Meaning of Qian Hai Creative Youth Entrepreneurship Dream Factory

Qian Hai, as a high-profile Coorporation Zone, will become a major driving force to promote Shenzhen-Hong Kong coorporation, and even to integrate with the international standards. Its characteristics and potentials enable youngsters to visualize Dream and Hope. It is an ideal place to cultivate youngsters’ creativity and innovation, and that is how The Dream Factory is being found.

The Dream Factory is a place for youngster to fulfill their dreams, and also to foster their creative mindsets. With this platform, it promotes and enhances cultural exchange and sharing among youth entrepreneurs from all around the world, especially between Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Through interactive exchange of ideas, it allows youth entrepreneurs to attain Unification of Diversification. It creates a platform where creative and talented minds from all over the world can exchange ideas and to turn unpractical dreams into sustainable industries.

The Elements of Dream

Innovation
Taking into references of international cases, the Dream Factory utilizes the concept of Modern Community, with Quadrangle Campus as the blueprints. Together with the creative environmental technologies and materials, these create a green and creative Dream Factory.

Creativity
Space is required to foster creativity. With the emphasis on spatial design and green facilities in architectural design, it can further cultivate the development of youngsters’ creativity.

Discovery
Entering from the Grand Plaza of Dream Factory, there are visually no endings from any corners, embodying the idea of “When in a courtyard, every step gives you a breath-taking view, every ten steps bring you a surprise, and every hundred steps stage an exemplar”.

Inspiration
The architectural design is filled with sense of spaciousness. The workplace does not limited to indoor, the outdoor landscape design also offers an open yet comfortable working environment for stimulating thinking and creativity.

Boundaryless
The overall planning and architectural design does not aim at producing a direct visual dialogue. Instead, by making use of the modern design, it aims at achieving boundaryless from any corners of the Dream Factory, with different feelings in every single footstep. This further encourages youth entrepreneurs to explore beyond their limits.

Opportunity
The concept of Multi-Community encourages exchanges among youngsters and entrepreneurs from both inside and outside the Dream Factory, which in turn promotes opportunities to accomplish their dreams.

Flexibility
The flexibility of space, such as the flexible partition in the activity rooms fully fulfilled the core elements of dream – Flexibility.

Visionary
Dream Factory possesses both horizontal and vertical deformability, awakening our visions towards the future development in Qian Hai.

Experimentation
Facilities in Dream Factory, such as the Integrated Multi-media Interactive Platform for Media Experimentation in Multi-Purpose Centre, offer a comfortable spatial experimental area with its open design.

Originality
Dream Factory will become an unprecedented Youth Entrepreneur Hub in Qian Hai, which is expected to turn into an influential Entrepreneur Hub among Asia in 5 to 8 years time.

Overall Design Concept

The Prologue

Dream, is an unlimited activity in the world, with or without logic inside it. Creativity and Innovation are the core elements within. Therefore, a space filled with possibilities, flexibilities and interactivity is required for dream to flourish. From all around the world, there are lots of Entrepreneur Hub with innovation and creativity as their blueprints, from Silicon Valley in United States to Science and Technology Parks in Hong Kong. With the premises to encourage youth innovation and creativity, they aim to offer a working environment full of energy and opportunity, so as to provide full support for youngsters in setting up their new business. Apart from the Information Technology Industry, The Dream Factory also supports other areas of youth business, while offering diverse opportunities for accomplishing their dreams.

Dream, to youngsters, is the beginning of success, and also the origin of design concepts in the Dream Factory. From the overall planning to individual facilities, it embodies the spirit of youth and unlimited imagination. Therefore, the emphasis on the elements of dream is stressed for many times. For example, through the flexibility of spatial design and limitation of the spatial constrains, the facilities allows for flexibility in working space based on the needs of individuals and groups. The concept of Quadrangle Campus encourages exchange of ideas among the youth. For example, academic exchanges can take place at Incubations, Multi-purpose Centre and Convention and Exhibition Hall. Besides, Youth Square at the centre of Dream Factory offers an outdoor gathering space, thus promoting a relaxing environment for interactive exchange among youngsters. In general, the Spatial Design and Originality from the overall architectural design echoes the elements of Dream.

The Development

Location
Occupying a site area of 15 sq. kilometer, Qian Hai as the core city of Pearl River Delta, situated at the western part of Shenzhen and eastern coast of Zhu Jiang, and is adjacent to Hong Kong and Macau. The Dream Factory is located at the southern side of junction of Qian Wan Yi Lu (Main Road) and the under-developing Meng Hai Da Dao (Sub-Road) at Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone, and is at the northwest side of Qian Hai Enterprise Mansion. Occupying a total floor area of 36,000 sq. meter of rectangular land, The Dream Factory encompasses a wide scenic view. Internally, the Dream Factory is connected with junctions from the middle, while the external traffic is easily accessible, with the underground railway which is currently under-construction. The Dream Factory enjoys the geographical advantage, connecting its neighborhood with assessable transportation system. The implementation of project will surely become the focal point of the southern development zone in Mainland China.

The Exemplar of Planning
The Master Planning of the Dream Factory is based on the Chinese adage of “When in a courtyard, every step gives you a breath-taking view, every ten steps bring you a surprise, and every hundred steps stage an exemplar”. Taking advantage of its geographical location and making good use of a modern design, you will be fascinated by the limitless/edgeless landscape the further you walk; the deeper you venture the more you will discover. These symbolize the creativity and endless possibilities young entrepreneurs have, to whom the sky is the limit when they pursue their dreams.

Another characteristic of the Dream Factory's planning is the employment of humane visual relationships. Through utilizing public squares and road context etc., social exchange between neighboring youth entrepreneurs can be facilitated and relationships fostered to create an interactive yet harmonious and relaxing atmosphere.

Diverse Facilities
The Dream Factory adopts a (contemporary) modern design ethos and also places an emphasis in functionality. Its main objective is to meet the needs of young entrepreneurs with its myriad of facilities.

The Grand Plaza of the Dream Factory houses conference and exhibition centres hosting large-scale international exhibitions, symposiums and workshops etc., where visitors can learn about the conception and design ideologies of the Dream Factory. This attracts foreign scholars and entrepreneurs to venture there to share their experience and knowledge to enlighten young entrepreneurs in Qian Hai, and creates a platform where creative and talented minds from all over the world can exchange ideas. That is the vision and objective of the Dream Factory’s establishment.

Other facilities and amenities in the Dream Factory include condominiums for visiting international scholars. Also the multi-function innovation centre allows visitors to make use of the integrated multi-media interactive platform in its experimental laboratory. There are medium-sized and small conference rooms, multi-function auditoriums and a Young Entrepreneur Garden to cater for the different needs of young entrepreneurs. The centre of the Dream Factory holds large Youth Plaza, allowing for large events to be organized, further facilitating the interaction between young entrepreneurs within the vicinity.

Sports Park
To promote the all-rounded development of young entrepreneurs, the planning of the Dream Factory took into account of their need for physical activities. There are facilities allowing them to “sweat it out” and maintain a healthy lifestyle, including football fields, basketball courts, tennis courts, etc. Through staying active, these young entrepreneurs can relieve stress and remain receptive to new stimuli and inspiration, creating a scene replete with energy and stamina.

Environmental Protection Facilities
Through nurturing young entrepreneurs, the Dream Factory lays the corner stone to the country’s future development. The Dream Factory adopts an environmental friendly architectural design focusing on sustainability, in synchrony with the region’s development regime.

The Dream Factory’s planning places an emphasis on greening and sustainable development. Greening architectural technologies in use include:

1. Green garden zones, Green pavilion and Green podium
2. Prefabricated Steel Structure and Reinforced Concrete Prefabrication
3. Wind Turbine
4. Grey Water Recycling System
5. LED energy saving lighting
6. Solar energy street light
7. Car-free environment, including cycling system
8. Low Emission Glass
9. Curtain Wall Facade maximizes the use of natural light
10. Low density building to prevent heat island effect
11. Staircases as the main vertical transportation

The Transformation

The Dream Factory aims to provide young entrepreneurs the opportunity to pursue their dreams, explore every possibility and innovate like none. At the same time the planning process of the Dream Factory itself was the embodiment of innovation and discovery, taking into account its interaction with neighbouring communities, greening and sustainability issues, the alignment of transport infrastructure with the city centre and inter-connectivity and flexibility of building arrangement. Thus all options are explored and weighed from the selection of the Dream Factory’s location to that of its orientation.

The final design was chosen out of ten original proposals at the preliminary design stage, due to its optimal usage of the assigned land and comprehensive coverage of the demands of young entrepreneurs when developing their businesses. The planned facilities cater for their needs to host large international exhibitions, symposiums or workshops, or that for leisure activities, dining and staying active, allowing for entrepreneurs to let loose their imagination and creativity in the Dream Factory.

Youth Plaza
The large outdoor plaza occupies the centre of the Dream Factory, and acts as the focal point allowing users of different areas to converge and engage in social activities. This comfortable communal area facilitates social contact and fosters a deeper sense of belonging towards the Dream Factory among its users. It can be used for hosting social activities and large-scale events, thus serves as a landmark.

Entrance Avenue
The spacious Entrance Avenues usher visitors towards the Youth Plaza where social gatherings take place, lending the premises an air of energy and expectancy not unlike a school campus. They also act as the vital connection between different parts of the Dream Factory.

Young Entrepreneurship Garden
The open office arrangement and moveable partition walls increase the flexibility and malleability of office space. In the long term, such arrangements can allow for adaptation to the needs in future developments, including phasal and temporary demands in office settings.

Green Zones and Grasslands
The green outdoor areas provide young entrepreneurs with a relaxing environment to take a break, and also to work and brainstorm so they are no longer confined to an indoor working environment.

Waterscape
The waterscape echoes the greening arrangements within the courtyards, filling the Dream Factory with a relaxing, yet vibrant vibe.

Lanes
Apart from the open space, the Dream Factory consists of many lanes, stimulating sense of discovery among youngsters. The construction of lanes promote neighbourhood in the community, thus strengthening the bonding among people.

The Construction of Creative Space

a) Convention and Exhibition Hall
Convention of Exhibition Hall offers a full set of support and services for young entrepreneurs to accomplish their dream, including the one-stop Service Centre to provide business consulting counsel and professional advisory. The large scale exhibition area provides an open platform to enable young entrepreneurs to display their innovative concepts and achievements to the industry and public.

b) Academy
Academy provides a platform for academic exchange among young entrepreneurs and successful entrepreneurs, allowing young entrepreneurs to learn from the experiences of their predecessors, and at the same time, expanding their social network.

c) Youth Dormitory
Youth Dormitory provides the largest scale of catering and dining area, and high quality accommodation services, while at the same time, some accommodation space can be transformed into working space with high flexibility. The combination of working and living space offers flexible working environment to fulfill the needs of young entrepreneurs.

d) Multi-Purposes Center
Multi-Purposes Center provides a flexible working space, together with special studio such as video-editing room and screening room according to different needs of young entrepreneurs.

e) Artists’ Bazzar
Situated at different corners of the garden, the art culture of Artists’ Bazzar connects the people within a small community, and thus revitalizing the street life and strengthening the neigbourhood in the garden. Also, it promotes the culture of arts and creativity within the garden and boosts the development of creative industry.

f) Car Park
The Dream Factory provides adequate car park space, which increases the accessibility both inside and outside the garden.

g) Large Television and LED screen
The informative campus provides the most up-to-date information at different corners of the garden. It enhances the exchange of information and the interactivity among different zones in the Dream Factory, thus providing a promotion channel to the public.

h) Cafeteria
Cafeteria is built within the Dream Factory to provide simple meals, and also to serve as a social platform to promote exchange among the youngsters and the concept of Quadrangle Campus.

i) Sport Ground
Apart from work, The Sport Ground offers youngsters a space for relaxation. The indoor sport ground, such as football and basketball court, enables young entrepreneurs to live a healthy social life. This helps to expand their social network and enhance the exchange among entrepreneurs.

j) Backyard
The quiet landscape area offers youngsters a comfortable working and leisure space.

The Conclusion

Before the implementation of the project, the Dream Factory has drafted and revised ten proposals in early design stage. After thorough discussion and selection, the final design was chosen which can adequately and fully utilize the location area, and also to suit the diverse needs of young entrepreneurs, from the hosting of large scale international exhibitions, talks, workshops to leisure activities, dining and gymnastics. All these facilities allow youngsters to develop a creative Dream Factory with imagination, and to awaken public’s visions towards the future development in Qian Hai.

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