The Jiangpu Community Culture and Sports Center, located in Yangpu District, Shanghai, is built on the historic site of the former Shanghai Forever Bicycle Factory. Following the factory's relocation, the land lay abandoned, becoming a repository for shared bicycles and presenting a stark contrast between the old neighborhood and modern high-rise communities. The center aims to revitalize the area's community culture and living environment.
The design integrates site characteristics and user needs, with a long, narrow plot and the main entrance on Liyuan West Road, maintaining the continuity of the streetscape along Tihushan Road. A 24-meter height limit is observed for the street-facing facade, while the internal courtyard is divided into varied outdoor activity spaces via entrance porches and suspended boxes on the second floor.
Functionally, the courtyard serves youth creative markets and elderly interaction. The first two floors feature double-height spaces for communal lounges, while the second floor hosts reading and activity rooms for calligraphy, painting, and dance. The third and fourth floors house rehabilitation areas, a gym, and a small multifunctional hall, with a column-free 300-seat multifunctional hall, dressing rooms, and VIP rooms on the fifth floor.
The design also emphasizes the transformation of corner spaces, using curved volumes to ensure continuity and soften the contrast between old and new structures. The existing plane trees along the sidewalk are preserved, and the five-story building is discreetly tucked behind greenery. The staggered reverse arc design from the third to fifth floors integrates with the main building, creating dynamic light and shadow effects and enhancing corner space recognition. Narrow-side windows along the street-facing facade provide suitable isolation for the multifunctional hall and activity rooms from street noise.
The entrance space, shaped by the plot's form, merges pedestrian and basement entrances with a large triangular canopy. Traditional gates are replaced by semi-open, curved vertical walls that gradually widen, blending quiet courtyards with bustling streetscapes. Rain and sunlight enhance the interactive experience between space and people.
The five-story building's extensive glass curtain walls bring courtyard views indoors, fostering interaction between interior and exterior. Eight-meter-high glass on the first two floors maximizes the comfort of double-height communal spaces. The fourth and fifth floors feature cantilevered 350mm-wide aluminum panels arranged in staggered patterns, creating distinct indoor and outdoor spatial experiences.
A suspended box spans the main building and scenic wall, with contrasting stone colors along the street inducing visual variation. A landscape staircase extends from the building, offering rich spatial experiences and serving as a playground for children at the turn-around platform.
Team:
Design: Lacime Architects
Chief Designer: Zhaoqing Song
Design team: Jinkai Cai, Dan Guo, Yueyi Liu, Yuge Wang, Minqi Wu, Lei Yan, Ming Wu
Photo credit: Shangjian Image
Partner: Landscape Design: Lacime Architects
Facade design: Zhejiang Zhongnan Group
Construction drawring: Shanghai Zhongfang Architectural Design Co., LTD
Client: Shanghai Poly City Development Co., LTD
Material Used:
1. Xinyi Glass: Double super white hollow tempered glass
2. Dechuan Industrial Automation: Artificial cave stone
3. AkzoNobel: Fluorocarbon spray aluminum veneer
4. BaoSteel: Stainless steel plate
5. Materials: Double super white hollow tempered glass, artificial cave stone, fluorocarbon spray aluminum veneer, stainless steel plate
