Unveiled in Venice during the 2018 architecture biennale, Valley XL is China’s latest grand architectural scheme; an arts and ecology project that is set to become a brand new cultural hub for the region.
Situated in Northern China, a quick train ride from Beijing to the beautiful Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei district, the project is the brainchild of private developers Shenzhen XL Culture Development Co., Ltd. and Guangdong Yuegang Investment Development Co., Ltd.
The campus, which spans a staggering 988 acres, will include art centre, museum, artists’ residencies, offices and exhibition spaces for art institutions, an arts education centre, buildings for collaborations with international institutions, restaurants, lifestyle offerings, and wellness centres; the architecture firms involved include international names such as AECOM and Arquitectonica, but also local firms such as HHDFUN. The campus was conceived to encourage artistic development in the country and promote both cultural endeavours and ecotourism activities.
‘Our cultural strategy starts today, with the overall planning of the project, and we are now looking to bring in the best cultural professionals and institutional partners, to work together to create an environment that is tailored for the artistic community right from the outset’, says artist, curator, and producer Li Zhenhua serves as an advisor for XL Project, Valley XL's management and programming scheme. ‘Ultimately, we hope to create an international platform which meets artists’ needs, creates a dialogue globally, and nurtures the cultural scene here long into the future.’
With construction about to commence, works are set to move forward fast with the first building – the Valley XL Art Centre by Wang Zhenfei - completing in 2019. The remaining structures will follow up in phases over the coming years.
Valley XL and XL Project are special partners of the China Pavilion at the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale, which is entitled ‘Building a Future Countryside’ and explores the countryside of contemporary China and the evolution and role of Chinese villages.
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The large scale scheme will include from museums and art centres, to housing and office buildings.
The campus spans a staggering 988 acres and will be completed in phases, starting with the art centre, which is set to open its doors for a soft launch next year
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