The Gymnasium of Ciyantang Middle School is located in Ciyantang Town, a remote town hidden in the mountainous area of Hunan Province. Under the guidance of rural revitalization policy, the project belongs to the category of public welfare buildings funded by a ‘pair-up assistance’ program, and there is a necessity to address sustainable and equitable architecture. Therefore, we aim to practice a design methodology that is cost-effective and adaptive to the local climatic conditions.

The project budget is 5,000,000 RMB (approximately 715,000 euros) for a 1,800-square-meter gymnasium. An indoor basketball court and its required facilities are arranged on the ground floor. Above the ground floor are a dance studio and personal training areas. Compacting different activity spaces, the gymnasium provides a multi-functional hall for school events or public events. Digital tools are used to analytically understand the climate condition of the site to drive the design proactively. For example, to prove the effectiveness of natural ventilation strategies, Phonetics was used to analyze the impact of the building on the site's prevailing wind, and Fluent was used to study the effect of ventilation on the mezzanine level of the building. A zigzag-form shading system and rooftop lightwells serve as natural lighting strategies.

These passive design strategies reduce the annual estimate of energy consumption of the gymnasium to 9.92 kilowatts an hour per square meter, and the annual carbon emission is minimized to 1.5 tons. The construction process fully involves the local workers and participants, and most of the construction materials are produced on-site by using local granite to reduce transportation costs. The gymnasium has now become a popular spot for gathering events in Ciyantang Town, and it stands for an exemplary project that delivers social inclusiveness and comfortable space through cost-effective and sustainable design methods.