UNIT/Climbable Floating Sports Park Concept Design for Luohu Ludan Sports Center
The Luohu Ludan Sports Center is conceived as part of a program that explores innovative approaches to stock renewal and intensive land use. The project transforms the underutilized land above the Ludan regulation reservoir into a vibrant, community-oriented sports hub, offering renewed value to Luohu District, Futian District, and the wider Shenzhen–Hong Kong metropolitan interface along the riverfront.
Situated at the southern terminus of Hongling Road in Luohu, the site faces Hong Kong across the Shenzhen River, with the Luohu Sewage Treatment Plant to the west and the Zhonghai Tianzuan residential towers to the east. Below ground, the site accommodates a parking garage at B1 and a large-scale regulation reservoir at B2, with approximately half of the garage’s columns supported by the reservoir’s structural beams. The proposed program incorporates 16 indoor courts for tennis, basketball, and badminton, alongside several outdoor pitches for 7-a-side football and basketball. Additional constraints include multiple stairwells and ventilation shafts projecting above grade, as well as a municipal road providing access to the Shenzhen River greenway that must be preserved.
Given the project’s significant indoor volume, its adjacency to residential buildings, and potential risks to the existing reservoir structure, the design proposes relocating the new building massing to the underused open land to the north. In parallel, the roof of the reservoir is reimagined as an accessible green park, seamlessly connecting with the Shenzhen River greenway and the rooftop garden of the sewage treatment plant. Together, they form an integrated ecological and recreational system. This strategy provides a more site-sensitive solution and demonstrates a broader approach to optimizing fragmented urban land resources.
The large indoor program is organized into two rectangular volumes, rotated 90 degrees and vertically stacked. The ground level is elevated 12 meters, allowing existing site elements—including the municipal road, garage entrances, stairwells, and ventilation shafts—to remain fully operational. The resulting massing is pulled away from the eastern residences, cascading harmoniously toward the river and Hong Kong, while establishing a new urban landmark along Hongling Road. The composition also contributes order and clarity to the fragmented urban frontage of Binhe Road. Structural loads are primarily resolved through foundations in open ground areas, with only the elevated running track and portions of the second-floor platforms transferring onto the existing reservoir system. An elevated pathway links the new sports center with the treatment plant’s roof garden, functioning both as a recreational jogging loop and as an interpretive route for public education.
Recognizing Shenzhen residents’ affinity for climbing Wutong Mountain in the east and Nanshan in the west, the project introduces a new programmatic layer—urban climbing. Two climbing trails rise from the ground-level park to the roof. “We redefine the architectural envelope as an active, inhabitable facade. Traditionally, the building skin serves as environmental protection and aesthetic expression. Here, it becomes an inclusive, all time public terrain. Visitors may choose their own paths, ascend at different gradients, and experience the city from a variety of perspectives—toward Hong Kong’s pastoral landscape or Shenzhen’s sunset skyline. At the same time, climbers on the facade visually connect with athletes playing inside, creating moments of spatial interaction between exterior and interior users. The building thus operates as a multi-dimensional public domain, encouraging unplanned encounters and layered urban experiences.” Moyang Yang, the principle of UNIT, explains in a statement.
At the uppermost volume, an infrared-responsive lighting system animates the facade at night. Dynamic light strips respond in real time to the density, speed, and movement of climbers, transforming the building into a kinetic landmark. This integration of sport, architecture, and technology ensures the project resonates as both a civic icon and a dynamic public infrastructure.
Project Information
Clients: Shenzhen Center for Design
Design Firm: UNIT
Principle in Charge: Moyang Yang
Design Team: Moyang Yang, Zilong Yan, Le Kang, Ruting Zen,Gen Zhang.
Gross Built Area: 15500sqm
Completion Year: 2025
Company Website: WWW.myunit.com
Contact e-mail: press@myunit.com
Video
The Luohu Ludan Sports Center is conceived as part of a program that explores innovative approaches to stock renewal and intensive land use. The project transforms the underutilized land above the Ludan regulation reservoir into a vibrant, community-oriented sports hub, offering renewed value to Luohu District, Futian District, and the wider Shenzhen–Hong Kong metropolitan interface along the riverfront.
Situated at the southern terminus of Hongling Road in Luohu, the site faces Hong Kong across the Shenzhen River, with the Luohu Sewage Treatment Plant to the west and the Zhonghai Tianzuan residential towers to the east. Below ground, the site accommodates a parking garage at B1 and a large-scale regulation reservoir at B2, with approximately half of the garage’s columns supported by the reservoir’s structural beams. The proposed program incorporates 16 indoor courts for tennis, basketball, and badminton, alongside several outdoor pitches for 7-a-side football and basketball. Additional constraints include multiple stairwells and ventilation shafts projecting above grade, as well as a municipal road providing access to the Shenzhen River greenway that must be preserved.
Given the project’s significant indoor volume, its adjacency to residential buildings, and potential risks to the existing reservoir structure, the design proposes relocating the new building massing to the underused open land to the north. In parallel, the roof of the reservoir is reimagined as an accessible green park, seamlessly connecting with the Shenzhen River greenway and the rooftop garden of the sewage treatment plant. Together, they form an integrated ecological and recreational system. This strategy provides a more site-sensitive solution and demonstrates a broader approach to optimizing fragmented urban land resources.
The large indoor program is organized into two rectangular volumes, rotated 90 degrees and vertically stacked. The ground level is elevated 12 meters, allowing existing site elements—including the municipal road, garage entrances, stairwells, and ventilation shafts—to remain fully operational. The resulting massing is pulled away from the eastern residences, cascading harmoniously toward the river and Hong Kong, while establishing a new urban landmark along Hongling Road. The composition also contributes order and clarity to the fragmented urban frontage of Binhe Road. Structural loads are primarily resolved through foundations in open ground areas, with only the elevated running track and portions of the second-floor platforms transferring onto the existing reservoir system. An elevated pathway links the new sports center with the treatment plant’s roof garden, functioning both as a recreational jogging loop and as an interpretive route for public education.
Recognizing Shenzhen residents’ affinity for climbing Wutong Mountain in the east and Nanshan in the west, the project introduces a new programmatic layer—urban climbing. Two climbing trails rise from the ground-level park to the roof. “We redefine the architectural envelope as an active, inhabitable facade. Traditionally, the building skin serves as environmental protection and aesthetic expression. Here, it becomes an inclusive, all time public terrain. Visitors may choose their own paths, ascend at different gradients, and experience the city from a variety of perspectives—toward Hong Kong’s pastoral landscape or Shenzhen’s sunset skyline. At the same time, climbers on the facade visually connect with athletes playing inside, creating moments of spatial interaction between exterior and interior users. The building thus operates as a multi-dimensional public domain, encouraging unplanned encounters and layered urban experiences.” Moyang Yang, the principle of UNIT, explains in a statement.
At the uppermost volume, an infrared-responsive lighting system animates the facade at night. Dynamic light strips respond in real time to the density, speed, and movement of climbers, transforming the building into a kinetic landmark. This integration of sport, architecture, and technology ensures the project resonates as both a civic icon and a dynamic public infrastructure.
Project Information
Clients: Shenzhen Center for Design
Design Firm: UNIT
Principle in Charge: Moyang Yang
Design Team: Moyang Yang, Zilong Yan, Le Kang, Ruting Zen,Gen Zhang.
Gross Built Area: 15500sqm
Completion Year: 2025
Company Website: WWW.myunit.com
Contact e-mail: press@myunit.com
