ABSTRACT
The Shengli Theater was open in 1930s, demolished in 2004, and replaced by a new commercial center at its original site in 2012 when the reconstruction plan was also on agenda. In this article, a kind of facadism practice in reconstruction of this art deco style theater is presented. In this project, challenges such as the lack of authenticity and technical difficulty are overcome eventually; suggestion of rebuilding theater’s street façade was accepted rather than reconstructing a part of theater’s volume. GRC plates, aluminum alloy plates, and steel components are the main materials of curtain wall and canopy. Curtain wall system was hung on reinforced concrete beams of commercial center, while steel frame structure canopy was supported by reinforced concrete columns of commercial center and 4 new steel columns on both sides. By these techniques, this reconstruction project remodels the historic environment, brings back the sense of place, and preserves the public’s memory of modern Nanjing to some extent.
