The Longyan Workers’ Cultural Palace is situated on a triangular plot in the Xinluo District, located on the eastern side of the city. The Xiaoxi River runs along the southwest edge of the site, providing a scenic backdrop. The site is bordered by Liannan Road to the north and Donghuan Road to the east, both adjacent to high-rise residential neighborhoods, though these residential areas are of modest quality.
The complex consists of two main buildings arranged in an L-shaped layout: Building 1 serves as the Employee Skills Training Base, housing the Employee Service Hall, training classrooms, exhibition halls, and the General Union Office. Building 2 is divided into two areas—Area A contains the Employee Cultural and Sports Activity Center featuring basketball, table tennis, and yoga halls, while Area B includes the Employee Exchange Base with facilities such as a cinema and lecture hall. An enclosed Employee Cultural Square connects seamlessly with Dongshan Wetland Park.
Responding to Climate Change
Longyan experiences long hours of sunshine along with a hot and humid climate, accompanied by months of continuous rainfall during the annual typhoon season. The design adopts passive strategies to optimize ventilation, insulation, and protection from sun and rain, enhancing user comfort and building performance.
Building 1 features a raised courtyard aligned with an elevated lower level that facilitates the introduction of cool air and the removal of heat. Prefabricated concrete vertical sunshades wrap around the south-facing balconies, effectively blocking the intense afternoon sunset while allowing rare morning light to enter.
Building 2 comprises volumes of varying scales extending along the eastern side of the site, connected by two horizontal corridors at different heights. Visitors can ascend the eaves corridor from the Workers’ Cultural Square to reach multiple floors, culminating in a rooftop garden. These corridors serve as both horizontal and vertical circulation pathways, offering continuous semi-outdoor spaces that provide shade and shelter from the elements.
Resolution Scale
The elevated first-floor space maximizes the return of land to the city, connecting pedestrian paths between the urban area and the adjacent wetland park. This area is intended as a future everyday stopover space for residents.
The building’s upper volumes are partially hollowed out, with terraces of varying sizes and locations. Some terraces serve as informal gathering spots for employees, others extend indoor functions, and some incorporate layers of greenery. These upper terraces correspond with the lower elevated levels, connected through multiple pathways that fulfill both functional needs and aesthetic ambitions.
Handicraft and Low-Tech Strategies
The project employs two traditional, “unfashionable” construction methods: clear water shale brick walls as the exterior enclosure, and horizontally cast pine formwork concrete with strong plasticity. This approach addresses challenges posed by the low project budget and inconsistent local construction techniques.
These primary materials not only solve technical and textural issues but also convey a sense of craftsmanship and handmade character. In the humid southern climate, their weathering over time will enhance their enduring aesthetic. The public square is paved with plain shale bricks, integrating the building with the site and complemented by a low-cost bamboo forest landscape, creating a serene and elegant atmosphere.
Architecture of Dialogue
The project incorporates extensive semi-outdoor spaces that help dissolve the building mass, respond to the urban climate, and organize circulation. These spaces blur the boundaries between indoors and outdoors, nature and city, architecture and citizens, creating dynamic “dialogue” spaces of various scales and atmospheres.
This dialogue manifests between residents, between people and nature, and between the built environment and the city. The intertwining landscapes and stories bring the architecture to life. Even the tactile experience of touching the plain brick walls and small formwork concrete evokes a timeless conversation between visitors and the craftsmen who constructed the building.
The owner shared that after the building’s completion, an average of two couples per day come to the Cultural Palace for wedding photos. Additionally, many students from nearby neighborhoods spend time there after school before heading home. The building has become a popular destination for daily leisure and social gatherings, gradually weaving itself into the fabric of Longyan’s community life. While this popularity has complicated daily management and maintenance, the architect and owner regard this as a fortunate challenge.
Project Drawings
▲ Location diagram
▲ General layout plan
▲ Underground floor plan
▲ First floor plan
▲ Second floor plan
▲ Third floor plan
▲ Fourth floor plan
▲ Fifth floor plan
▲ Sixth floor plan
▲ Sectional view
▲ Semi-outdoor spatial distribution map
▲ Functional zoning diagram
▲ Ventilation and shading analysis
▲ Wall detail drawing
▲ Hollow masonry wall schematic
▲ Small formwork plain concrete construction schematic
Project Information
Architectural Design: Tianjin Huahui
Area: 48,050 m²
Project Year: 2021
Photographers: Existent Architecture, Wei Gang, Fu Kaiwei
Chief Architect: Zhou Kai
Lead Architect: Wu Yue
Design Team: An Zhe, Zhang Yi, Wang Naihu, Dai Yanan, Fan Liang, Guo Enjian, An Jun, Yang Lin, Jie Hai, Wang Yinguang, Bai Wenzong
Landscape Design: Wu Yue, Bai Wenzong
Structural Design: Guo Enjian
Client: Longyan City Federation of Trade Unions
Construction Contractor: Fujian Jiuding Construction Group Co., Ltd.
Construction Drawing Design: China Architecture Shanghai Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd.
Location: Longyan City, China
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