Land initially used for the growth of produce has been transformed into a site where it is sold in Longba Town, China. 

The Longba Town Fresh Food Theatre opened this month, providing residents with a centralised shopping environment and festival hub.

Located in Zhuxi County within Hubei Province, Longba Town is made up of 19 villages.

The need for a designated marketplace was what led the government to set aside a small plot of vegetable land for the development, with residents previously serviced by sellers along the town's only main road.

Hubei's Describing Architecture Studio was enlisted to design the space, which consisted of 2500 square metres.

In a submission to Gooood magazine, one of the lead designers, Li Wei, described how the intricacies of the natural environment forced them to work from the inside out.

"Two rows of houses in the southeast encompass the site tightly, while a canal winds its way to the northwest, leaving a zigzag outline of the land," he said.

"This led to us starting from the center of the site, and then working gradually to the outside, slowly infiltrating into the surrounding irregular corners as we went."

After 25 selling units were arranged to occupy the centre of the site, outer units were changed into rooms facing inward to complete the closure of the space and "define the basic boundary of the building".

Source: Describing Architecture

The market comprises mainly of steel structures, with the main beam and secondary beam staggered in height for construction convenience.

Mr Wei said the design was completed with the daily activities of shoppers in mind.

"This project tries to make the market space correspond to the buying and selling behavior," he said.

"It is with this mind that two different spaces are shaped and juxtaposed.

"The seller’s space has a higher headroom, while the columns enclose a square sales area with stalls in four directions.

"It forms a dramatic stage-like display effect with the skylight shed from the top."

Sources: Gooood Magazine, Describing Architecture

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