KING ONE Community Center in Zhuhai by E Plus Design: A Low-Budget Urban Regeneration Model
- Low-cost strategy transforming four abandoned buildings in Zhuhai, China, into a vibrant community hub.
- Project: KING ONE Community Center
- Location: Jinwan District, Zhuhai,
- China
- Architects:
- E Plus Design (E+UV)
- Typology:
- Adaptive Reuse, Community Center, Public Architecture
- Building area: 56,589㎡
- Landscape area: 46,693㎡
- Images © Wu Siming, Du Rui
E Plus Design’s KING ONE Community Center in Zhuhai demonstrates how four underused municipal buildings can be transformed into a high-intensity community hub through minimal intervention and limited funding.
Set within Jinwan Aviation New City, one of Zhuhai’s fastest-growing districts, the project addresses a broader urban condition in China: rapidly constructed public buildings that quickly fall into disuse, while emerging neighborhoods lack meaningful civic infrastructure.
Instead of pursuing cosmetic renovation, the architects introduced a spatial strategy that restructured circulation, identity, and program. The result is a cost-efficient urban regeneration project that reactivates existing assets rather than replacing them.
Jinwan Aviation New City required a new community center to support its expanding population. The designated site consisted of four standalone ancillary buildings surrounded by dense residential development.
However, these structures suffered from fundamental planning flaws including closed facades, disconnected circulation, no functional synergy, and weak spatial identity.
The client’s initial proposal was conventional with upgrade facades and to assign separate functions (offices, community activities, retail). Given the limited budget, this approach would have delivered isolated improvements without solving the core spatial fragmentation.
During site analysis, the architects identified the real opportunity, not in the buildings themselves, but in the adjacent municipal green park. This overlooked asset became the project’s organizing principle.
The site centers on a semicircular municipal greenbelt. The intervention repositions this park as the heart of the community. A sweeping second-level platform connects the four isolated buildings, transforming them into a unified architectural ensemble.
This singular gesture:
- Establishes a multidimensional circulation network.
- Orients all buildings toward the park.
- Concentrates activity into a shared social core.
- Creates a distinct identity for the complex
Ramps and staircases link the platform to street level, generating two functional ground planes. This improves accessibility and enhances commercial viability for retail programs.
Climate Response and Three-Dimensional Public Space
Zhuhai’s Lingnan climate is hot, humid, and prone to sudden coastal storms. The elevated platform introduces passive environmental benefits:
- Shaded pedestrian zones beneath
- Protection from heavy rainfall
- Improved outdoor comfort
- Reduced heat exposure
Formerly exposed sidewalks are now sheltered public areas.
The platform’s underside becomes active space rather than residual void. Circular openings of varied sizes, ranging from tree pits to slides, introduce light, shadow, and vertical interaction. These elements stimulate informal gathering and play. The gently sloping ramp serves both circulation and recreation. It has become a favored route for skateboarders and cyclists.
Above, the second level accommodates a fresh food market and community events. During summer evenings, residents gather on the broad steps and platform edges to enjoy sea breezes and attend performances at the community stage. The spatial layering allows simultaneous activities across levels, creating visual exchange and social density.
Minimal Intervention, Maximum Impact
Rather than pursuing extensive structural alteration, the facade strategy focused on perception and identity.
Key measures included:
- Assigning distinct theme colors to each building
- Aligning color with program (government services, dining, retail, market, senior facilities, youth center)
- Replacing dull perforated aluminum panels with clean white horizontal bands
- Opening up the Youth Palace facade
At the Youth Palace, circulation was externalized into a wraparound corridor. The spiraling stair becomes an animated facade element, transforming everyday movement into visible activity.
Landscape Integration Without Demolition
The municipal greenbelt was already densely planted. The design retained all existing trees. Not a single tree was removed. Platform openings align carefully with tree canopies, allowing vegetation to extend vertically through the structure.
Under the trees:
- An open-air playground activates daily use.
- A large staircase and stage host school and community events.
- The fire lane becomes an ocean-themed landscape path.
- The shaded ground transforms into a night market venue.
The intervention amplifies existing landscape value rather than replacing it.
Since opening, KING ONE Community Center has become one of Zhuhai’s most active community destinations. The park-centered night market attracts steady evening crowds. Commercial functions operate alongside civic programming in a shared public environment. The project demonstrates that urban regeneration does not require large budgets or iconic form. Spatial strategy, circulation logic, and climatic adaptation can generate significant civic value.
Project name: KING ONE Community Center
Client: Zhuhai Huihua Holdings Group Co., Ltd.
Location: Jinwan District, Zhuhai
Building area: 56,589㎡
Landscape area: 46,693㎡
Design phase: May 2022
Opened: November 2023
Architectural design: E Plus Design（E+UV）
Chief architect: Coco Zhou,Li Fu
Project director: Guo Sibo
Design team: Li Geng, Huang Haifeng, Dong Siyi, Li Xin, Zhang Yan, Wang Junli, Huang Xiaorui, Yan Yurong, Zhang Xubin, Sun Hongnan
Construction drawings: E Plus Design
Landscape scheme & construction drawings: HTLA Design Studio
Chief landscape designer: Fan Ye
Project Director: He Yixiang
Design team: Fan Xiaoxu, Zheng Yanlin, Zhang Dingding, Qin Weiyan, Liu Jingjing, Li Shuixing, Qi Zhijuan, Huang Xiaolian
Photo credits: © Wu Siming, © Du Rui
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