The Gaojing Park Civic Center is a renovation project transforming an old building. Located in Gaojing Town, Baoshan District, Shanghai, the site neighbors an abandoned railway freight station and sits alongside the Beiyang Railway branch line that crosses central Shanghai. The area is dissected by intersecting roads, resulting in neglected and underutilized urban spaces.
During construction, the architectural approach focused on enclosing the existing old building. Inspired by the natural contours of the earth’s surface, the design envelops the building with a folded, twisted skin, tightly wrapping the original structure. This “epidermis” consists of two layers—inner and outer interfaces—that can interchange through rotation, transforming the spatial experience within.
The enclosed interior space, shaped by this organic growth and closure, serves as the physical exhibition area seamlessly integrated with the park. The original concrete flooring is broken up to allow natural surface expansion. The building’s fifth facade extends the park interface upward, while the sloped rooftop garden creates a vertical plane that forms a linear skylight, illuminating the exhibition hall below.
The rooftop pathway redefines the site’s public space, while the ground-level passage reconnects fragmented urban areas previously divided by the building. This new form revitalizes the open public space within the city. The roof features ramps on the north and south sides, creating a three-dimensional circulation system centered around a rooftop garden. This network links urban parks, buildings, and street corner plazas, enhancing connectivity through vertical and horizontal movement.
To maximize usable space and extend the park interface, the roof design embraces its role as an active urban space. This approach transforms previously neglected areas into inviting places for leisure and community activities.
The layered roof of the Light Space incorporates skylights, forming a naturally sloped seating area for the rooftop garden theater. These skylights also serve as a crucial light source for the exhibition spaces below. Future exhibitions and activities will benefit from dynamic interactions with varying light patterns, enhancing the spatial experience.
The design blends cultural imprints with the raw concrete of the original site, enhanced by vibrant bamboo textures. The artistic paintwork utilizes traditional Shanghai exterior wall techniques, adding emotional depth to the urban core. This fusion of two facade materials and architectural forms creates an enclosed space that speaks distinct architectural languages.
Project Drawings
△ General Layout Plan
△ Site Analysis Diagram
△ First Floor Plan
△ Second Floor Plan
△ Material Schematic Diagram
△ Material Schematic Diagram
△ Material Schematic Diagram
△ Material Schematic Diagram
△ Analysis Chart
△ Streamline Analysis Diagram
△ Analysis Chart
△ Analysis Chart
△ Analysis Chart
△ Analysis Chart
△ Analysis Chart
△ Sectional Perspective
△ Detailed Drawing
△ Detailed Drawing
△ Detailed Drawing
Project Information
Architect: UA Youan Design
Area: 1029 m²
Project Year: 2023
Photographer: CreatAR Images
Suppliers: Shanghai Taishen Trading Co., Ltd; Shanghai Xinlin Building Materials Co., Ltd; Taicang Gold Inlaid Yu Metal Products Co., Ltd; Zhejiang Yuzhe Lighting Co., Ltd
Landscape Design: UA You’an Design • UT Youta Planning • Landscape Business Unit
Lighting Design: AET Ethernet Lighting
Lead Designer: Yu Chaojin
Core Team: Guo Hui, Tian Sanmei, Deng Zuosong, Huang Xian, He Chuanlong, Zhang Yan, Li Qiang, Liu Zhilin, Wan Yujie, Shi Peng, Zhou Jiebin
Construction Drawing Design: UA You’an Design Comprehensive Design Department
Principal: Government of Gaojing Town, Baoshan District, Shanghai
Location: Shanghai
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