By the Shanwei Red Bay, three "pearl shells" of different heights quietly took shape. On April 8, the main structure of the Shanwei Cultural Center project, undertaken by China Construction Science And Industry Co., Ltd., was fully topped out.

Project Photo

This is the first project in Shanwei to be constructed with special-shaped fair-faced concrete. With a total construction area of approximately 48,000 m2, it includes three museums and one center, namely the museum, cultural center, science and technology museum, and youth activity center. The project is expected to be basically completed by September 30. After completion, it will become a center integrating functions such as mass cultural exchanges, historical exhibitions, and scientific research.

Schematic diagram of project components

To turn the "pearl shell" design concept with strong local cultural characteristics into reality, the project team innovatively adopted a number of unique design and construction techniques. By using overweight prefabricated column structures, special-shaped beam-column concrete structures, single-curved special-shaped fair-faced concrete inclined walls, and an ultra-long curved GRC (Glass Reinforced Concrete) curtain wall system on the exterior facade, they not only achieved the primitive aesthetics of the building with its natural appearance but also precisely controlled the scientific and technological precision within millimeters, making this "urban cultural living room" that deeply resonates with the urban context of Shanwei.

Primitive Aesthetics

Schema of "pearl shell"

The architectural design of the project is inspired by the local pearl shells in Shanwei. The streamlined design also resembles the shape of ocean waves. To accurately reproduce the material characteristics of calcium silicate in the shells, the project's exterior facade uses the GRC curtain wall system. Cement-based materials are used instead of metal glass. After multiple processes, the curtain wall surface retains a rough texture and natural beauty. The walls of the Shanwei Cultural Center directly retain the natural texture of the solidified concrete and only apply a transparent protective layer.

Renderings of Fair-Faced Concrete Technology

To ensure that the 6.6-meter-high single-curved fair-faced concrete wall is formed in one go, the project strictly controls three key links:

Material control: The concrete raw materials are "specially supplied in the same batch" to ensure a consistent color;

Design control: Deepen the design of the formwork layout to achieve precise cutting of formwork materials;

Acceptance control: Conduct process acceptance from multiple aspects such as formwork support systems, formwork laying, and screw hole arrangements. Establish a 3D coordinate system to facilitate comprehensive tracking of the wall surface curvature accuracy. Finally, the high-difficulty single-curved fair-faced concrete inclined wall is successfully poured in one go.

Scientific and Technological Precision within Millimeters

Facing the GRC installation units with dimensions of 6 m * 2.8 m and a hoisting weight of approximately 1.4 t, the project adopts the "3D modeling-3D laser scanning-digital verification" technical system. In the detailed design stage, a concrete structure model is built using BIM. In the construction stage, data is collected through 3D scanning for "customized" processing. The model and the construction entity are digitally reviewed. The project uses this "combination of virtual and real" method for precise installation, cleverly solving the accuracy problems of oversized and special-shaped lifting unit plates.

Designing installation nodes with BIM

In addition, the main structure of the project uses approximately 190 overweight prefabricated concrete columns, with the largest weighing approximately 11 t. To achieve high-precision and high-quality hoisting and docking, the project innovatively applies a pre-buried positioning plate device to achieve precise control with a verticality deviation of less than 10 millimeters.

Cultural Living Room with Synchronized Vibration

Residents of Shanwei can trace the historical development of Hailufeng Culture in the museum, experience the diverse cultures of Shanwei, which integrate Cantonese culture, Hakka culture, intangible cultural heritage, and marine culture, in the cultural center, and feel the vibrant and technology-driven Shanwei in the science and technology museum and youth activity center.

Rendering of the Museum

Rendering of the Cultural Center

Rendering of Science and Technology Museum and Youth Activity Center

The fair-faced concrete technology, which requires no glue or tiles, is writing the construction rules for cultural landmarks in the new era. China Construction Science And Industry Co., Ltd. will continue to uphold the character of "iron will and kind heart", and with the advantages of the whole industry chain of green construction, intelligent construction, and industrialized construction, contribute to the high-quality development of cities.