Situated along the Tiansha River in Pengjiang District, Jiangmen, this project serves as a concentrated showcase of Pengjiang’s water control achievements. The exhibition hall plays a vital role as a venue for scientific education, water management discussions, and hosts the annual Loong Boat race. The owner aimed to open the facility to the public on World Water Day, shortly after the 2021 Spring Festival. This ambitious timeline allowed only eight months from design to completion, including the Spring Festival holiday and a one-and-a-half-month period dedicated to indoor exhibition setup. The project is notable for its rapid construction and strategic focus on building methods.
Our construction strategy focused on “breaking down the whole into smaller parts.” This approach divided the building into two sections that could be built simultaneously. The lower section features a children’s exhibition hall with a concrete structure and a walkway at river level. Above, a steel-framed exhibition hall and public education space are elevated above the riverbank walkway, connected to the main square at road elevation.
To meet flood prevention requirements, the lower level employs a concrete shear wall structure. The 200 square meter children’s exhibition hall is positioned within the footprint of a demolished old building, creating a large pedestrian area set back from the riverbank. This layout reduces earth excavation and utilizes an existing construction surface, saving valuable time. Additionally, situating some functions at the riverbank elevation reduces the building mass facing the main square, preserving a human-friendly scale between the urban interface and the river.
The upper level features a steel structure with standardized repeating units. After just two weeks of pile foundation work, prefabricated components were delivered from the factory for onsite assembly. Columns span 2.4 meters with a 0.6-meter module, allowing fixed furniture panels, flooring tiles, doors, windows, railings, and wall panels to fit perfectly. This modular precision ensures high quality and speeds up construction. The suspended upper structure lightly floats above the landscape trails and trees, minimizing impact. Both building levels are staggered horizontally and connected only by stairs, which is the sole structural link.
Elevated above the riverbank park, the upper buildings offer shaded resting areas for visitors. The sleek exposed inclined steel columns evoke the paddles used in the Loong Boat race, while the suspended structure resembles a boat floating on water. The public education space’s upper-level doors open fully, providing an unobstructed view of the Loong Boat race. Thanks to our careful planning of construction phases and timelines during design, the project was completed in an exceptionally short period. One year after opening, this site has become a key center for children’s environmental science education and advocacy.
Project Drawings
△ Road Level
△ Public Education Level
△ Riverbank Level
△ Building Profile
△ Structural Diagram
Project Information
Architectural Design: WAU Architecture Firm
Area: 900 m²
Year: 2021
Photographer: Bai Yu
Lead Architects: Wu Linshou, Zhao Xiangying
Design Team: Zhang Weiying, Luo Qianping
Structural Engineer: Chen Zhaozhi
Client: Beijing Enterprises Water (China) Investment Co., Ltd
Local Architect: Nanjing Municipal Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd
Landscape Design: Jiangsu Landscape Architecture Planning and Design Institute Co., Ltd
Exhibition Design: Kasitong Exhibition Co., Ltd
Location: Jiangmen, China
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