△ Realistic Night View of the Main Facade of the Auto Expo Park Trading Center
While acknowledging the complexity of architecture, Kang’s pursuit of simplicity remains valid. True simplicity, which deeply satisfies our spiritual needs, arises from inherent complexity. Effective simplification is part of analyzing the essence of things and a key method for creating complex structures. During the design of Halls A, B, and C at Zhuzhou Auto Expo Park Trading Center, it was clear that these massive buildings—spanning nearly 100 acres—dominate the immature urban fabric around them. However, such dominance risks creating isolated “heroic” buildings that fragment the city.
Overall Positioning of the Automotive Expo Park
The Zhuzhou Auto Expo Park serves as the city’s reception hall, image display center, and spiritual core. It leads automobile trade, exhibitions, and culture in Hunan Province while influencing the broader central and southern China regions. As a cultural hub for large-scale international automobile circulation, it integrates automobile exhibitions, lifestyle, and tourism. Located centrally within the park, the Automobile Trading Center plays a leading role in the park’s opening.
Master plan of the Automotive Expo Park with the location of the Automotive Trading Center plot
Architectural Planning and Design of the Auto Expo Park Trading Center
The Trading Center site lies at the core of Zhuzhou Auto Expo Park, bordered by Pentium Road to the north, Leopard Road and Beiqi Avenue to the south and east, and Great Wall Road to the west. The terrain features significant elevation changes.
2.1 Planning and Design: The guiding concept for Halls A, B, and C, along with the Automobile Plaza, is “spatial communication and integration, with visual penetration and connection.” To emphasize the urban interface of the car plaza and ensure vehicle accessibility, the design capitalizes on the site’s elevation differences by linking the three buildings with a continuous curved facade. The car plaza sits atop the city plaza, naturally forming an underground parking garage below the elevated plaza. The staggered arrangement of the pavilions breaks the rigid symmetry of a central axis, creating a balanced yet dynamic composition. The reversed entrances of Halls B and C frame the evolving urban space, highlighting Hall A as the main venue and forming an organically interconnected architectural ensemble.
Layout diagram of the Auto Expo Park Trading Center
The project’s plots overlap and complement each other functionally. To create a cohesive multi-functional space, the design enhances transportation links between plots, efficiently manages internal flows of vehicles and freight, and supports the concurrent construction of the Auto Expo Park Service Center. By shaping a landscape axis, the design creates shared green spaces connecting the public square and surrounding land.
2.2 Architectural Design: The ABC Buildings of the Trading Center maintain a relative independence while remaining closely connected. Departing from conventional design, the project breaks down and reconstructs the large buildings, simplifying complex functions into modular combinations. Featuring a large spatial design with a regular column grid and smooth vehicle passageways centrally located, it offers flexibility for various exhibition hall layouts. The architectural form incorporates flowing curves symbolizing the dynamic trajectories of speeding cars, evoking a strong modern and sporty character. The fluid roof form softens the building’s scale and harmonizes with the terrain. This interplay of automotive and architectural language—curves and straight lines full of speed—imbues the center with vitality. The aesthetics of architecture and cars interweave, creating a complementary and engaging experience for visitors.
△ Aerial view of the Auto Expo Park Trading Center
△ Realistic view of the main entrance of Building A
△ South side view of Building A
The ABC Halls are interconnected underground as a unified whole
△ South facade of Building A and corridor connecting Buildings A and B
Spatial organization analysis of Hall A
Spatial organization analysis of Halls B and C
2.3 Landscape Design: The landscape design complements the architecture, emphasizing holistic integration. The main entrance ramp and curved steps form a “Z” shape, guiding visitors’ approach and heightening anticipation. Since the square will later host car displays, a central open space creates a transparent visual corridor from top to bottom. Irregular green patches along the square’s edges echo the curved architectural forms, flowing gracefully east to west and reinforcing the automobile theme. Terraced greenery softens the site’s elevation changes, establishing a comfortable human scale. Together, landscape and architecture express freedom, tension, dynamism, and technology.
△ Aerial view of the Auto Trading Center within the Auto Expo Park
Interior Design of the Auto Expo Park Trading Center
The interior design draws from car movement trajectories and components, using curves as defining spatial elements. Thoughtful arrangements follow the principle of function guiding form, creating spaces that harmonize with the architecture and evoke metal, technology, speed, and strong visual impact.
△ Interior view of the trading center hall (white ceiling lights channel natural light via light guide tubes)
△ Realistic views of spherical ceilings, tire-shaped courtyard ceilings, and curved line hall ceilings
The modular, movable brokerage rooms inside the trading center allow flexible spatial reconfiguration based on operator needs.
△ Ground-level view of the atrium with flowing curved lines conveying a dynamic, rapid movement sensation
Curtain Wall and Lighting Design
The ABC Halls employ a variety of curtain wall types unified by color and form, balancing expressive richness with modern simplicity and strength. Depending on architectural form and location, curtain walls include glass, aluminum panels, stone, and stainless steel.
△ Curtain wall types used in the Auto Expo Park Trading Center
△ Realistic view of the glass curtain wall
△ BIM parametric modeling assists in analyzing surface smoothness and layout simulation of the aluminum curtain walls
△ Realistic view of aluminum panel curtain walls
△ Stainless steel curtain wall at the main entrance of Hall A
Lighting design draws deeply from the language of cars and architecture, using RGB full-color linear lights to outline unique shapes on streamlined aluminum panels. Low-power 6500K point lights are embedded within perforated aluminum plates, while wall washers highlight entrance doors, ensuring harmonious integration without compromising the building’s appearance. From a distance, the lighting evokes the image of a dazzling sports car, paired with deep blue lights reminiscent of a mysterious deep-sea phantom, leaving a striking impression.
△ Night lighting scene of the Auto Expo Park Trading Center
5 Conclusion
The design of the Automotive Trading Center draws inspiration from the dynamism and speed of cars. Curved and straight lines connect naturally, while metal panels and glass curtain walls intertwine across multiple directions. This combination not only conveys speed and passion but also evokes a futuristic and technological atmosphere.
The active architectural concept introduces natural light into the exhibition halls through light guide tubes. BIM models integrated with analysis software help optimize structural choices and equipment selection, ensuring both aesthetic appeal and construction feasibility while reducing energy consumption. Through integrated design across architecture, planning, landscape, interior, and lighting, the project achieves complex large-scale buildings in a simple and efficient manner. Here, the language of cars and architecture interact seamlessly, complementing each other with speed and passion.
△ Night aerial view of the Trading Center at Auto Expo Park
Project Drawings
△ General layout plan
△ Floor plan of Building A
△ First-floor plan of Building B
△ First-floor plan of Hall C
Project Information
Project Name: Zhuzhou Auto Expo Park Automotive Trading Center
Location: Zhuzhou City, Hunan Province
Owner: Zhuzhou Gaoke Auto Expo Park Development Co., Ltd
Design Team: Luo Jin Studio
Design Unit: China Machinery International Engineering Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd
Building Area: 65,416.34 square meters
Chief Architect: Luo Jin
Architects: Wang Zhikuang, Tan Zhiming, Cui Hongmeng
Structural Engineers: Xiao Zhi, Sheng Li, Xu Yan
Electromechanical Engineers: He Zongchu, Chen Kang, Le Yangrui, Zhou Li, Ji Fuyuan, Sun Jifeng, Liao Zhitao, Chen Haifeng
Interior Designers: Shen Qingjun, Zhou Bobei
Landscape Designers: Xiong Jinbin, Cheng Qi
Curtain Wall Designer: Zhang Hongliang
BIM Team: Duan Yuanming, Zhu Universe, Ouyang Can, Peng Yayi, Zhou Yaqi
Design Period: 2016–2018
Completion Date: 2020
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