Factory City To Education City Primary Function: Multifunctional nga Teatro by Ying Bi and Siyu Bai

Factory City To Education City Primary Function: Multifunctional nga Teatro by Ying Bi and Siyu Bai is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award nga Bronse in Disenyo sa Arkitektura, Gambalay ug Estruktura Competition Category.

BronseArkitektura· 2026

Factory City To Education City Primary Function: Multifunctional nga Teatro

by Ying Bi and Siyu Bai

A' Design Award nga Bronse Winner in Arkitektura Category

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Verified Award Winner
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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Factory City To Education City Primary Function: Multifunctional nga Teatro

Book Text: Kini nga proyekto nag-imahinar pag-usab sa industriyal nga kabilin sa Ivrea isip usa ka kontemporaryo nga kampus para sa edukasyon ug kultura. Pinaagi sa pag-angay-gamit pag-usab sa naglungtad nga mga estruktura nga konkreto ug pagsulod sa bag-ong modular nga mga gambalay nga asero, ang disenyo nagbalhin sa kanhing palibot sa produksiyon ngadto sa usa ka konektadong balangkas para sa pagkat-on, pasundayag, ug kinabuhi sa publiko. Usa ka teatro, multifunctional nga mga espasyo, ug usa ka abli nga panggawas-sulod nga ugat magkahiusa sa paghimo og usa ka maaaro-arong sibiko nga talan-awon diin ang industriyal nga panumduman milambo ngadto sa usa ka buhi nga arkitektura sa kahibalo.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award nga Bronse

Factory City To Education City Primary Function: Multifunctional nga Teatro usa ka mananaog sa A' Design Award nga Bronse, usa ka labihan ka prestihiyoso nga pag-ila nga gihatag sa talagsaon nga mga disenyo nga gipaila sa pagkamamugnaon, kaabtik, ug kamatngon. Ang mga mananaog sa Bronse mga hanas kaayo ug makapahibulong nga mamugnaon nga mga artipakto nga nagpamatuod sa dakong kasinatian, imahinasyon, ug kaabtik sa ilang mga tigdesinyo. Gilauman nga ang Factory City To Education City Primary Function: Multifunctional nga Teatro mahimong gipabilhan, gihangaan, ug gihigugma nga butang nga talagsaon ang pagkapropesyonal ug bag-o. Kini nga disenyo nga nakadaog og A' Design Award nga Bronse naglakip sa labing maayong mga praktis sa arte, siyensya, disenyo, ug teknolohiya ug maayo kaayo tungod sa pagtagad niini sa mga detalye. Factory City To Education City Primary Function: Multifunctional nga Teatro nagtagbaw sa mga panginahanglan sa matahom nga paagi, nag-igo sa mga tinguha, nagbihag sa mga pagbati, ug nagdani sa pagkamausisaon.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: The project transforms an industrial social-services complex into a modular educational campus. Existing concrete buildings are reactivated through light interventions, while new steel structures house a theatre and multifunctional spaces. A connecting public spine integrates learning, culture, landscape, and civic life, turning industrial heritage into a flexible framework for knowledge production.
Dimensions & Packaging: Approximate site area: 8,000 sq.m. The project consists of a theatre volume and a multifunctional educational building connected by semi open circulation. The theatre is approximately 15 m x 23 m x 16 m, using a long span steel roof structure. The multifunctional building is organized on three levels with modular structural bays. Main materials include existing reinforced concrete, steel framing, metal roof decking, insulation, waterproofing membrane, glazing, and perforated metal cladding.
Tags: adaptive reuse, industrial heritage, educational campus, modular steel structure, theatre design, multifunctional building, public space, civic architecture, Olivetti, Ivrea
Production Technology: The project is realized through a hybrid system of adaptive reuse and lightweight steel construction. Existing concrete structures are preserved and reactivated with minimal intervention, while new volumes use a modular steel frame, long span roof trusses, metal roof decking, insulated build-up roofing, and perforated metal cladding. The theatre integrates acoustic wall lining, suspended acoustic reflectors, lighting grids, sprinkler coordination, and mechanical ducts within a clear structural logic.
Design Challenge: The main challenge was to transform a historically industrial site into a contemporary educational and cultural campus without losing its original spatial identity. The design had to balance preservation and intervention, integrating existing concrete structures with new modular steel construction. Another key challenge was to create a clear relationship between theatre, learning spaces, and public circulation while maintaining flexibility, technical performance, and a strong civic character.
Research: The research investigates how industrial heritage can be transformed into a contemporary educational environment. It combines site analysis, historical study of Ivrea and the Olivetti legacy, program development, and architectural prototyping. The project studies adaptive reuse, modular steel construction, and spatial connectivity as strategies to integrate learning, performance, and public life within an existing industrial fabric.
Inspiration: The project is inspired by Ivrea's industrial legacy and the social vision of the Olivetti factory city. Rather than preserving the site as a static monument, the design explores how industrial structures can support contemporary education, culture, and public life. It draws from adaptive reuse, modular construction, and the transformation of production into knowledge.
Project Duration: The project was developed in 2026 as an architectural competition proposal for the Olivetti Theatre site in Ivrea, Italy. It explores the transformation of the former industrial context into a contemporary educational and cultural campus through adaptive reuse, modular construction, and public space integration.
Operation Flow: The project operates as a connected campus where learning, performance, and public life are brought together through a clear spatial sequence. Visitors move through open pathways, landscape platforms, and shared gathering spaces that link the existing buildings with the new theatre and multifunctional programs. This flow encourages informal interaction, flexible use, and a continuous relationship between education, culture, and civic activity.
Patents: Copyrights belong to Siyu Bai, Ying Bi, 2026.
Team Members: Ying Bi, Siyu Bai
Image Credits: Ying Bi, Siyu Bai