The project is located in the Universiade Sports Center in Longgang District, Shenzhen, surrounded by several universities (such as Beijing Institute of Technology, Moscow State University Joint Campus, and The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen) as well as extensive residential areas. Four planned metro and intercity rail lines surround the site, with
Line 16 already operational and its entrance/exit situated on Huangge Road on the eastern side of the project site.

The Universiade Center served as the main venue for the 26th World University Games. The complex consists of three main facilities—the main stadium, the main gymnasium, and the natatorium—interconnected by the Universiade Lake. Developed jointly by China Resources and the government, the project leverages the core sports venue resources to create commercial components tailored to consumer needs. This integration forms a unified urban space where sports functionality and commercial amenities complement each other.
The project was initially designed primarily to serve major sporting events. Following the conclusion of the related games, it has continued to host sports competitions, concerts, and other large-scale performances. In its day-to-day operations, the site exhibits distinct visitor patterns, with attendees generally falling into three categories: spectators of sporting events, audiences for performances, and local residents engaging in routine physical activities.
The movement patterns of sports users are particularly tidal in nature. During the daytime, few visitors come for exercise, with only a small number of individuals engaging in basic fitness activities such as jogging during early morning and evening hours. As a result, the entire site experiences significant cyclical fluctuations in foot traffic.
Additionally, the scattered open spaces originally planned as part of the supporting park system around the venue incur high ongoing maintenance costs, including continuous landscaping upkeep and infrastructure repairs. In the absence of regular park visitors, these areas have remained underutilized and neglected over the long term.
To address this challenge, we have introduced commercial and cultural offerings, integrating the site’s existing water features and greenery to transform the park into an open public space complemented by comprehensive commercial facilities. This approach has shifted the visitor profile from primarily event, performance, and sports-related crowds to a sustainable, all-day foot traffic model. By broadening the target audience to include residents with diverse needs, we have revitalized previously underutilized areas and established an integrated operational model of "sports venue + park +
commerce."
Compared to the previous single-function sports venue model, the new approach has resulted in a more balanced visitor composition, significantly improved land use efficiency, and enhanced comprehensive value. The site inherently possesses strong sports industry attributes as well as high-quality water and greenery ecosystems. Building on these core strengths, all newly added commercial structures have been limited to two stories in height. Additionally, the layout of the new buildings incorporates setbacks to preserve the site’s original landscape and character, with a focus on highlighting the innate environmental qualities of the sports facilities and the park.

This transformation has turned the once functionally limited and sparsely visited site into a fully open, high-value space where land potential is maximized.
Integrated Operational Model of "Sports Venue + Park + Commerce": This model transcends the boundaries of single-purpose operations, positioning the sports venue as the traffic anchor, the park ecosystem as the contextual foundation, and commercial offerings as the vehicle for value realization. It creates a synergistic operational loop where different functions coexist, traffic is mutually reinforced, experiences are blended, and value is compounded. Unlike traditional commerce, which is often "product-sales driven," this model is anchored in "experience-driven consumption," fostering a comprehensive, all-day, multi-dimensional consumer ecosystem that caters to diverse visitor groups.
a . Mutual Traffic Flow and Efficient Multi-Scenario Visitor Conversion
The three integrated functions create a bidirectional traffic system that attracts and complements different visitor groups, achieving a synergistic effect where 1+1+1 > 3. The sports venue draws targeted audiences for fitness activities and events, the park attracts a broader range of visitors for leisure, family outings, and urban strolls, while the commercial component serves as the consumption endpoint for both groups. At the same time, high-quality commercial amenities enhance the experience and retention capacity of the sports venue and park, naturally transforming sports enthusiasts and park visitors into commercial consumers. This model addresses the common challenges of traditional commerce (limited visitor diversity), sports venues (low-frequency consumption), and urban parks (lack of commercial value).

b. Experience-Driven Redefinition of Commercial Consumption Logic
Moving beyond the conventional model of "brand leasing + scene-based sales," this approach integrates commercial offerings with dual experiential themes—"sports experience" and "ecological experience"—making consumption a natural extension of the experience rather than its primary goal. Commercial functions are deeply embedded within sports and park contexts, such as sports rehabilitation, fitness-oriented dining, and outdoor gear catering to athletic visitors, alongside camping cafes, family-friendly cultural retail, and nature-based education tailored to the park environment. This allows consumers to engage in spending seamlessly during their sports or leisure activities, shifting from "purpose-driven consumption" to "immersive experiential consumption."

c. Synergistic Business Integration: Building a Highly Compatible Ecological Business Matrix
The business planning goes beyond mere "physical juxtaposition," instead focusing on precise allocation and complementary coexistence aligned with the core needs of the three major scenarios, forming a seamless ecosystem of offerings. Core business types are categorized into three layers: first, foundational support services that meet immediate demands for sports and leisure, such as sports nutrition, light dining, beverage outlets, and public rest areas; second, experiential value-added services that enhance scene appeal, including sports training, outdoor activities, family-friendly play zones, and cultural markets; third, consumption conversion services that realize the commercial value of visitor traffic, such as sportswear brands, specialty dining, and lifestyle retail. These layers mutually reinforce one another, enabling the entire project to function as a holistic living environment where people can exercise, relax, consume, and socialize.
d. Full-Day Operations: Activating All-Day Commercial Value
Breaking free from the time constraints of traditional commerce (typically 10 AM–10 PM), sports venues (primarily daytime use), and urban parks (peak hours in early mornings and evenings), this model achieves 24/7 operational coverage through staggered business hours and complementary offerings, maximizing commercial potential across all time periods. Mornings cater to park exercisers and early training groups at the venue, with supporting services such as breakfast and sports nutrition. Daytime focuses on family leisure, sports training, and business relaxation, driving retail, experiential, and dining activities. Evenings leverage sports events and park nightscapes to create night economy experiences, including sports bars, open-air cinemas, and themed night markets. This ensures the project maintains core appeal across different hours, enabling continuous visitor flow and consumption throughout the day.

e. Content-Centric Approach: Engaging Visitors Through Continuous Programming
Centered around an "annual content calendar," this strategy reduces reliance on physical infrastructure by using high-frequency, diverse thematic activities to consistently attract and retain visitors. Building on the core themes of sports and the park, seasonal and festival-based events are curated, such as sports competitions, outdoor camping festivals, nature education programs, family sports days, and sports-themed markets. This transforms the project from "a space" into "a destination with ever-renewing appeal." By generating buzz and encouraging social sharing, these activities drive sustained visitor traffic while enabling deep integration with commercial offerings, thereby enhancing the efficiency of consumer conversion.

f. Multidimensional Value: Balancing Commercial Returns and Urban Public Benefits
This model transcends the traditional "profit-only" focus of commercial operations, achieving a threefold integration of commercial, social, and urban value. While driving business profitability, it also enhances urban sports infrastructure through the venue, improving residents’ athletic experiences, and contributes to urban ecology and public leisure via the park, positioning the commercial project as an integral part of the city’s public service ecosystem. Such multidimensional value not only elevates the project’s civic recognition and brand image—often attracting policy-level support—but also draws a broader visitor base through its public benefits, which in turn reinforces commercial performance. This creates a virtuous cycle where "public value enhances commercial value, and commercial value sustains public operations."

I. Large-Scale Site with Extended Active Frontage
Given the expansive scale of the site, where the total commercial circulation path exceeds 1.3 kilometers, there was a risk of creating inactive zones and uneven distribution of visitor flow, leading to underutilized spatial value. To address the potential monotony caused by the lengthy pedestrian route, the commercial layout has been strategically divided into four thematic zones, transitioning from dynamic to tranquil experiences.
At the southern main entrance, flagship retail stores anchor the area, drawing visitors into a vibrant, character-rich streetscape. Moving northward, the pathway leads through an outdoor-themed central plaza before arriving at a waterfront boardwalk cluster. The northernmost section, offering optimal views and a more secluded atmosphere, is reserved for high-end private dining venues.
A series of plaza nodes are introduced at the junctions between different thematic zones. These spaces not only serve as dispersal areas for stadium crowds but also create distinct gathering environments with varied identities. Our vision is to extend the narrative of the stadium outward, ensuring that every visitor to the Universiade Center can find a space that resonates with their interests.
The architecture is thoughtfully positioned along the water’s edge, integrating aquatic views, ecological greenery, and fitness trails to form a “breathable” commercial environment. This approach seamlessly blends contemporary commerce with cultural recreation and park ecology, achieving a harmonious coexistence of vibrancy and tranquility.
II. Achieving Integration Between Architecture and Landscape
Creating a truly innovative park-integrated commercial model posed a key challenge for Universiade Tiandi. The solution lies in the deep fusion of architecture and landscape. The entire site encompasses the Universiade Stadium, Universiade Park, and Universiade Tiandi, all connected by the Universiade Lake, forming a cohesive synthesis of natural mountainous and aquatic resources.
As public demand for leisure, sports, and social interaction continues to grow, designers have responded by innovating urban pedestrian spaces that balance functionality with aesthetics. At Universiade, we have pursued a new design philosophy that seamlessly merges settings for relaxation, exercise, and gathering.
Material selections lean toward warm, natural textures such as wood-grain aluminum panels, washed stone, sand-textured coatings, and natural stone, while color palettes favor neutral grays that echo the surrounding environment. The architectural design intentionally softens boundaries, allowing the built forms to blend organically into the ecological landscape.
I. Intensive Land Use
Universiade Tiandi unlocks limitless potential within a compact footprint, transforming previously underutilized areas into a multifunctional urban park that integrates commerce, culture, sports, and leisure. This "multi-purpose land use" model not only fulfills diverse urban needs but also reduces reliance on additional land resources, significantly enhancing land-use efficiency.
II. Application of Green Building Technologies
Energy-efficient glass curtain walls, exterior wall insulation systems, and high-performance HVAC and lighting systems have been adopted to reduce the operational energy consumption of the buildings.
III. Microclimate Shaping and Ecological Landscaping
The lake area is utilized to regulate the local microclimate, while the landscape design incorporates resilient native plants, rain gardens, and permeable paving as part of a sponge city approach, promoting stormwater infiltration and reuse.
IV. Encouraging Green Mobility
By optimizing transportation connectivity, creating pleasant environments, and enhancing the overall experience, the project leverages its site advantages through the introduction of plazas, green spaces, and parks. These improvements not only elevate the quality of public areas but also provide residents with more spaces for leisure and social interaction, making green travel more convenient, comfortable, and appealing.