This project is located on a waterfront site bordering the national freeway to its north and west, a large river and small river to its south and northeast, and Zhuhai Bay to its southeast. It is a site with ideal exposure for a major civic center. As Nansha region’s main civic center, it includes a fine art gallery, a cultural museum, a theater, a youth palace, and a science museum.

Our competition-winning design makes full use of the geographical features of the waterfront. The civic buildings are arranged along the waterfront. Outdoor spaces and facilities are placed in the center of the site. The natural environment forms a city park and surrounds the civic buildings complex. Sunken plaza spaces are designed to infiltrate civic buildings, forming an interaction between outdoor spaces and architectural buildings.

Using set-back requirements for green space, our design ensures that the green space fully embraces each civic function, and blends in perfectly with the civic center. Along with the waterfront space, from the southwest, we placed an art gallery, museum, theater, youth palace, and science museum in sequence.

The five public buildings are connected in the form of podiums, which not only provided connectivity, weather protection, and convenience but also increase the land utilization rate and profitability of the civic complex.

Speaking of the local climate of high humidity, strong sunshine, and high heat during summer in Nansha, our design uses extensive arcades, covered overhangs, and other architectural spaces to provide pleasant public gathering and circulation spaces within the civic center. These spatial forms also add to the overall dynamic character of the civic center.

At the same time, Nansha is different from the neighboring metro area of Guangzhou in that it does not have the characteristics of a densely built urban area. It is more natural and garden-like, suited as a future new city with the ecological and environmental appeal. This civic center will encourage citizens to be outdoors and fully experience the fun of nature.

Being good at communication is one of the characteristics of Guangzhou’s citizen culture, in order to fully reflect the cognition of Guangzhou’s geographical environment and the inheritance of traditional architectural vocabulary.

The podium building is raised to a height of 10 meters above the ground to form ample outdoor overhead spaces suitable for various activities happening in between the cultural buildings.

Our design emphasizes the importance of outdoor spaces, which is a distinct architectural tradition in this region. This also reinforces our design intent, i.e. to let the civic center be completely infused with fresh urban vitality.