The project is located in the Economic and Technological Development Area of Hangzhou. Built on the A4 Plot of the Xiasha University Town North area, it is positioned as a district-level sports center for a residential neighborhood. It serves residents and college students of the surrounding areas as a public venue for sports, training sessions and social activities. Therefore, the design was required not only to highlight the vitality of the university town, but also to meet the surrounding community’s needs for a healthy life.

A reasonable and effective layout
Due to a limited plot area, a regular scheme that limits the height of the main building body within 24 meters cannot satisfy the requirements in both building density and outdoor areas. Therefore, the design team overlaid main spaces, including a comprehensive gymnasium, a multi-functional sports hall, and a tennis and badminton center, into the main volume, and set up a separate rock-climbing gym.

In addition, an outdoor sports venue is set in the southeast of the site, to introduce the landscape of a park and a greenbelt nearby. The multi-functional main hall is set back to the boundary of the site, to create spaces for a logistics channel, a loading area and a fire apparatus elevating area. A shared space spans the site as a connection between the indoor and outdoor sports spaces, forming two squares at the two main entrances on the east and west sides.

Shared architectural spaces
As urban construction develops and people’s lifestyles change, traditional single-functional sports venues no longer meet the needs of modern society. The project utilizes an area among the main building volume, the rock-climbing gym and the outdoor venue, and builds it into a shared space that meets different purposes such as public services, leisure, communication and sports. A lobby providing access to different venues is also set, which is equipped with service desks and a bar where people can take a break and communicate with each other.

A shared platform is also built above the shared space to connect the second and third floors of the main building volume. As a connecting space, it leads to multiple areas within the sports center. As a leisure space, it attracts visitors to stay here as they can watch people playing basketball from a higher perspective and appreciate the fun of rock-climbing from distance. Therefore, the project as a whole creates a dynamic atmosphere of a “Sporting Mall”, to gain popularity in the neighborhood.

A dynamic community integrated into urban environment
The design team utilized the outdoor venue to introduce the landscape of a nearby park and an urban greenbelt into the site, and integrated the shared spaces to create a leisure area with a pleasant ecological environment. In addition to basketball courts, a jogging track, which runs through the site and links with a nearby sports park, is also created. The multi-floor shared spaces, which run east-to-west, link the indoor and outdoor sports areas and allow visitors to do sports, communicate with each other and enjoy some leisure time, contributing to the goal of building a dynamic sports community.

Multifunctional venues
A shared lobby is set between the main building volume and the rock-climbing gymnasium, through which visitors can reach indoor and outdoor sports venues easily. The main building body is divided into an east area and a west area. The west area is a six-floor space that accommodates a sports equipment store, a table tennis hall, a billiard room, a training center, office areas and other auxiliary spaces. Each floor is equipped with an independent lobby and a vertical traffic system.

The east area is a large space. The first floor contains a comprehensive gymnasium, indoor and outdoor playgrounds for children, and shared leisure spaces such as the bar. The second floor accommodates a multifunctional sports hall and a shared platform. Four basketball courts are set, which can also be used as a training venue for taekwondo, boxing, wrestling, karate, judo, wushu sanda and other sports, or as a venue for holding small- and medium-sized cultural events. The third floor serves for tennis and badminton. It includes four tennis and four badminton courts and can be used for badminton and tennis games or badminton training.

The square and practical structure of the main building volume and its fully standard layout of sports venues ensure the most efficient use of space on the plane, and facilitate efficient, orderly operation of each venue. The first and underground floors of the rock-climbing gymnasium are commercial spaces, and the second floor is a rock-climbing venue with a net height of 24 meters. Rock-climbing walls are built at the west and north sides of the venue, while highly-transparent glass curtain walls are set up on the east and north sides, through which visitors in other areas of the sports center, such as the shared platform, can watch people engaged in rock-climbing. The outdoor sports venue of the center can be transformed into an outdoor space to hold community book markets or cultural expositions. The activity venue is sunken to attract visitors’ attention and lower the height of the fence.

The main building body is square, standing as firm as a giant rock, while the rock-climbing gymnasium has a more vibrant vibe. The structures generate an impressive view at the east side of Qiantang River. Minor curves of the buildings symbolize speed in sports. Perforated aluminum plates allow good ventilation and daylighting, and create similar effects generated by LED lighting at night. The shared platform enriches the layers of space and integrates the buildings into the outdoor surroundings.