South China Agricultural University Gymnasium

Youth Architects PR Agency

Client: South China Agricultural University

The Gymnasium of South China Agricultural University (SCAU), a pioneering university gymnasium in South China to adopt an open community design, redefines the sports architecture. The design hopes to integrate the gymnasium into campus life with more interactive functions. Rejecting conventional enclosed forms, it integrates shared community services and mixed-use functions while creating vibrant outdoor spaces, including a tree-canopy square, skatepark, pedestrian arcade, and multi-level platform. The design fosters a lively, multifunctional space and dynamic hub for campus and community activities that enriches university landscapes with new social memories.

Located at the east entrance of of SCAU, the sport complex is accessible to external communities while anchoring the campus’s east-west axis. The 440-meter-long site, sloping 13 meters vertically, bridges the western teaching area and eastern living quarters. Situated along frequent commuting routes, the gymnasium acts as both a social catalyst and a transitional space between campus zones. Its receding volumes and understated façades harmonize with existing mature trees, ensuring seamless integration into the surrounding landscape. At the corner of the competition hall and natatorium, 20 canopy-shaped sunshade structures inspired by the university logo’s “bud” motif create a tree-themed social hub, providing all-weather shade and microclimate comfort. The facade design reflects the unique characteristics of SCAU, drawing inspiration from Impressionist oil paintings that utilize color blocks to represent wheat ears and granaries. The facade features three types of aluminum plates with varying perforation rates in a "wheat ear" motif, showcasing three warm yellow tones with differing brightness levels. This, combined with the perforated folded plate curtain wall, abstractly conveys the image of a "harvest granary". The facade’s folded plate gradient treatment creates a dynamic visual effect, mimicking the scene of wind blowing through waves of wheat as lighting and viewing angles shift, offering a unique visual experience for faculty and students. In the middle of site, a diagonal building volume encloses a small square featuring a skatepark, cold drinks bar, stairs, and leisure gallery for sports and social activities. Adapting to subtropical climates, 20 canopy-shaped sunshade structures provide all-weather shade and microclimate comfort, enhancing daily interactions between teachers and students. Besides, a pedestrian arcade along the building facade connects the tree canopy square, leisure platform, and rest areas into an open street block, while indoor activities are visible through floor-to-ceiling glass walls that blur indoor-outdoor boundaries and foster community engagement. To align with SCAU's economic capacity, the design implements a series of low-energy technologies aimed at reducing reliance on air conditioning and daytime lighting, thereby lowering the operational costs of the gymnasium. For the tennis training hall, single-layer perforated aluminum panels form the façade skin, utilizing north-south convection ventilation to foster a naturally ventilated and well-lit sports environment. For the natatorium, frosted glass skylights are adopted to regulate incoming solar heat, producing soft, diffused lighting that ensures uniform illumination while minimizing glare. Additionally, patios and courtyards are locally provided to promote the stack effect, thereby enhancing indoor-outdoor ventilation and comfort while reducing the need for air conditioning.