The Senior Retired Officials Activity Center: A Public Community Park by Guangzhou S.P.I Design 

Project Statement
The Senior Retired Officials Activity Center, located on Xinhua Street – the primary thoroughfare of Huadu District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province – occupies a site area of 8,514 square meters. The site was once the political, economic, cultural, and international exchange hub of historic Huaxian County. With rapid urbanization, the urgent need for public amenities has become increasingly pronounced. The redevelopment initiative transforms a former parking lot adjacent to the Activity Center into a public green space, providing much-needed recreational space for residents in the densely populated historic urban core.

Originally home to 46 preserved osmanthus trees, the design applies the “New Shan-Shui” philosophy (a contemporary reinterpretation of traditional Chinese landscape aesthetics) and urban palimpsest theory, culminating in an urban regeneration project themed “Harmony under the Moonlit Blossoms” – a poetic embodiment of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival’s cultural ethos of familial unity. This metaphor manifests through concentric circular design elements that cohesively integrate the site’s spatial narrative.

Project Narrative
The project revolves around the concept of “Urban Regeneration via Landscapes.” It transforms a formerly enclosed parking lot into a pocket park that connects closely with the surrounding community. Through the layering of historical memory, integration of architectural elements, incorporation of climate resilience, and activation of community vitality, the project establishes a mixed-use model for regenerating high-density, aging urban areas—reshaping the city into a warmer and more inclusive environment.

By engaging in participatory design research, the design team assesses residents’ needs, using the findings to guide the planning process and ensure community alignment.

Urban Palimpsest and “Urban Regeneration via Landscapes”
The project adopts an “urban palimpsest” approach, emphasizing historical layering, cultural memory, and spatial superposition to reinforce local identity and a sense of place. Guided by the “New Shanshui” philosophy—rooted in reinterpretation and remapping—it integrates natural elements into urban life and envisions a harmonious relationship between people and the environment. Iterative community engagement ensures the design remains responsive and grounded in real-world needs.

Triadic Reconstruction Strategy: Block, Architecture, Landscape

1. Block Reconstruction: From Fragmentation to Integration
Challenge: The Old Cadre Bureau’s surface lot was walled off, isolating it from surrounding institutions and neighborhoods.
Strategy:
• Shared Use: The surface parking is relocated underground via a smart parking system, allowing the surface to be repurposed as a “Community Learning Garden.”
• Opening Boundaries: Solid walls are replaced with green, transparent partitions. The former entrance becomes a cultural gallery that connects to surrounding public nodes.
• Event Activation: Outdoor classrooms and shared spaces transform the once-isolated lot into a vibrant “neighborhood living room.”
The site evolves from a passive transit space into a multidimensional social anchor.

2. Architectural Reconstruction: Boundary Innovation through Functional Complementarity
Challenge: The traditional rectangular layout of the existing parking lot underutilized the site’s public service potential.
Strategy:
• Spatial Penetration: An underground parking system addresses traffic demands, while the above-ground structure integrates staircases, elevators, and ventilation shafts unified by a consistent grille design. The reclaimed ground area becomes an open community park. Ventilation outlets are designed as artistic red brick cutouts.
• Blurred Interface: Indoor classrooms are extended into outdoor spaces, promoting a coexistence of old and new. Rooftop greening creates shaded areas while visually and spatially linking rooftop and ground-level gardens.

3. Landscape Reconstruction: Weaving Nature and Culture
Challenge: Existing greenery lacked ecological depth and spatial continuity.
Strategy:
• Life Infrastructure: Preserve mature trees and introduce Lingnan plant species that absorb vehicular pollutants, creating a multi-sensory healing landscape.
• Rain Gardens: Permeable concrete supports water infiltration. Stormwater is directed into sponge systems and stored underground for irrigation.
• Climate Responsiveness: Wind studies identified stagnant zones, which are mitigated with denser planting, improved paving materials, and vertical greenery.
• Green Transitions: Circulation and vegetation are reorganized. A green terrace connects the rooftop to the elderly center, while the façade reflects local cultural identity.

Guided by the “Freedom Shanshui” strategy, the design preserves existing trees and site walls, replacing rigid grids with a circular plaza. Permeable paving enhances sponge city functionality. Tree wells, brick benches, wooden backrests, and Lingnan-style lighting evoke collective memory. Parametric steel landscape walls narrate Huadu’s story, blending local culture with ecological design.
Beyond solving parking issues, the project creates a walkable, inclusive, and ecologically sensitive public space. As a model of “Urban Regeneration via Landscapes,” it contributes to the discourse on urban renewal. By balancing heritage with innovation, it sets a benchmark for revitalizing Guangzhou’s aging neighborhoods through localized, human-centered design.

Other credits:
Client: People’s Government of Huadu District, Guangzhou Municipality; Huadu District Branch, Guangzhou Municipal Bureau of Planning and Natural Resources; Bureau for Retired Veteran Cadres, CPC Huadu District Committee, Guangzhou
Developer: Guangzhou Zhidu Investment Holding Group Co., Ltd., Guangzhou Huadu Industrial Zone Construction and Investment Co., Ltd., Guangzhou Helei Construction Engineering Co., Ltd.
Engineering Design: Guangzhou Urban Planning & Design Survey Research Institute
Contractor: Guangzhou Huadu Guangjian Engineering Construction Co., Ltd., Guangzhou First Municipal Engineering Co., Ltd.
Design Team: Hu Sun, Songmin Liu, Jingwen Chen, Kenan Xin, Weiqing Wang, Songlin Mo, Xiaodong Liang, Xinyi Liao, Shubin Ye

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