Shanghai Sanlin Base, established in 2008, is one of the first large-scale affordable housing residential communities in Shanghai. Situated outside the outer ring road of Sanlin Functional Zone in Pudong New Area, it plays a significant role in enhancing the affordable housing infrastructure.
Among the 17 public building support projects in Sanlin Base’s first phase, the Shanghai Sanlin Yide Community Cultural and Sports Center stands out as a comprehensive public cultural and sports facility. Designed entirely by Sanyi, the center aims to fulfill the increasing social, spiritual, and cultural demands of community residents following improvements in their living standards. It offers a vibrant, multifaceted “sports+” community park for the residents surrounding the base.
Part 01
A Cultural and Sports Center Integrated Within the Community
Located on the east side of Yixing Road in Sanlin Base, the project is surrounded by affordable housing on three sides—east, south, and north—with only a narrow street frontage of less than 150 meters on the west side. The site has an irregular, “finger-like” shape with a highly winding boundary, nestled within the surrounding residential land.
△ Project land
△ Aerial view of the project
The challenge was to maximize the use of a limited and irregular site to create a building that fulfills functional requirements while maintaining aesthetic appeal. The design needed to carefully plan internal functions and circulation, incorporate a wide range of cultural and sports facilities, and minimize disruption to neighboring residents. Sanyi’s architects developed a scheme that balances rigidity and flexibility, accommodating both active and passive uses.
△ General layout plan
△ Project Overview
Movement and Stillness
Taking into account the site conditions and development needs, a diagonal axis divides the space to separate cultural and sports functions. The sports center, symbolizing “movement,” is positioned on the lively street-facing west side, while the cultural center, representing “stillness,” is tucked deeper into the base next to residential areas. This layout creates a “noisy” west and “quiet” east dynamic, reducing impact on nearby residents and allowing independent operation of the two facilities.
△ Scheme generation diagram
The sports center is located facing the active street on the west side.
The cultural center sits adjacent to residential areas within the base.
One Rigid, One Flexible
Although the site is irregular, the buildings themselves needed to exhibit harmony rather than awkward uniformity. The architects combined rectangular and circular shapes in the design to reflect the site’s form and programmatic needs. The west sports center is a solid, cubic structure, while the east cultural center features a soft, oval shape—expressing a contrast of rigidity and flexibility.
A Strong Sports Center
△ “Gentle” Cultural Center
Part 02
Sports+ Community Park
This project emphasizes a harmonious blend of architecture, people, and nature. Through thoughtful structural planning, an extended natural environment, and diverse functional facilities, it creates an inclusive cultural and sports hub. This vibrant space offers residents a healthy, trendy venue for leisure and cultural activities, improving the quality of life in the resettlement community.
△ Design Analysis Diagram
△ Aerial view of the project
A Balanced Spatial Experience
The sports center to the west and the cultural center to the east together form a spatial composition balancing rigidity and flexibility. Although each function maintains its own system, they are connected by an elevated aerial corridor. This corridor integrates with a three-dimensional running track that spans both ground level and corridor, creating a multi-level healthy running circuit to support jogging and fitness activities for the nearby community.
Two functional areas are connected by an aerial corridor
△ Three-dimensional Healthy Running System
Extending the Natural Environment
Three-dimensional greenery is integrated throughout the design, utilizing vertical transport areas, roof spaces, and site surfaces to create multi-level green spaces. These green areas are strategically placed along the property boundaries and outdoor activity zones to mitigate noise from sports activities, providing a quiet, park-like atmosphere. This approach ensures residents have access to natural, green social spaces throughout the community.
△ Roof greening and vertical traffic greening
△ Stretching and extending green space
Diverse Functional Facilities
As a key supporting project in the area, the Shanghai Sanlin Yide Community Cultural and Sports Center integrates cultural exhibitions, sports, education and training, leisure, entertainment, and support services all in one location.
△ The project integrates multiple functions and support services
Additionally, outdoor spaces have been creatively planned to include future amenities such as a skateboard park and climbing wall on the sports center roof, catering to extreme sports enthusiasts among children and youth. To the east of the sports center, a five-a-side soccer field and a gateball court are planned, offering active recreation opportunities and injecting new vitality into the community.
Skateboarding Park in Future Planning
The east side of the sports center is planned to include a five-a-side football field and a goal court.
Part 03
Detailed Execution of Design Innovation
The Sanlin Yide Community Cultural and Sports Center employs modern design techniques to create a distinctive, dynamic architectural presence. Features include extended forms, varied facades, and materials such as natural stone paint, high-transparency glass, and aluminum alloy rods. The cultural center’s unique shape and extensive three-dimensional greenery posed significant challenges for detailed design and construction.
Details of the Cultural Center
3D Facade Surface
The cultural center’s facade is adorned with metal components arranged to form an irregular three-dimensional surface. Each yellow and red decorative element has a unique height dimension, contributing to the building’s dynamic appearance.
△ Metal decorative components form a three-dimensional curved surface
△ 3D schematic of the outer facade surface
Architects utilized REVIT software to create a three-dimensional surface model, inputting parameters such as spacing and vertical positioning of each component. This process determined construction methods and produced detailed outputs including component data, CAD plans and elevations, and SketchUp models. This thorough approach ensured precise execution in subsequent two-dimensional design and construction documentation.
△ Cultural Center Scenery
Sloped Curved Roof Greening
The design incorporates multi-level greenery on roofs and vertical transport areas. The cultural center’s sloping roof presented drainage challenges. After extensive analysis, architects designed an internal gutter system with uniform slopes and multiple rainwater outlets around the roof perimeter to ensure proper irrigation maintenance and rainwater drainage.
△ Cultural Center Profile
Schematic diagram of roof drainage gutter nodes
△ Roof greening of cultural center
Direct Expansion Solar Heat Pump System
The sports center includes hot water bathing facilities powered by a direct expansion solar heat pump system. In this system, refrigerant in the evaporator directly absorbs solar heat, with the evaporator and solar collector functioning as a combined heat exchanger. This setup maximizes solar energy use, overcomes the limitations of traditional solar water heaters during winter and nighttime, and achieves higher energy efficiency with reduced operating costs.
Schematic diagram of direct expansion solar heat pump system
The sports center roof features a direct expansion solar heat pump system
Part 04
Conclusion
In the post-pandemic era, community functions have gained increased importance. The Shanghai Sanlin Yide Community Cultural and Sports Center not only provides a rich variety of sports and cultural activities but also offers flexible outdoor spaces, enhancing the overall community experience. This all-in-one solution addresses complex community needs and promotes inclusive, public cultural settlements, positioning itself as a catalyst for future urban and community development.
△ Project reality
Project Drawings
△ South elevation of sports center
△ North elevation of sports center
East elevation of the Cultural Center
△ West elevation of the cultural center
North South Elevation of Cultural Center
△ First floor plan of the sports center
△ Second floor plan of the sports center
△ First and second floor plans of the cultural center
Project Information
Project Name: Shanghai Sanlin Yide Community Cultural and Sports Center (tentative name)
Project Type: Cultural and Sports Center
Address: 981 Yixing Road, Sanlin Town, Pudong New Area, Shanghai
Site Area: 29,739.8 square meters
Building Area: 16,122.16 square meters
Floor Area Ratio: 0.4
Design Period: May 2010 – August 2019
Construction Period: December 2019 – October 2023
Developer: Shanghai Residential Construction Development Center
Design and Construction: Shanghai Sanyi Architectural Design Co., Ltd
Project Manager: Fang Zhiteng
Construction Drawing Manager: Zhang Min
Collaborators:
Landscape Design: Shanghai Agriculture, Industry and Commerce Greening Co., Ltd
Construction Contractor: Shanghai Construction Fifth Construction Group Co., Ltd
Architectural Photography: TRACEIMAGE
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