Haikou Workers’ Center Uses Steel, Timber for 57,411 m2 Complex

Haikou Center Opens with Climate-Responsive Design

The Haikou Workers’ Activity Center, a 57,411-square-meter cultural and sports complex in Haikou, China, completed construction between 2021 and 2025. Designed by the Green Architecture Design and Research Institute of CADG, the facility is organized as a porous, shaded public landscape within the Jiangdong New Area of Hainan.

Its design incorporates a stepped steel structure, planted terraces, integrated water systems, and a photovoltaic roof. These elements collectively respond to the region's tropical coastal climate, linking various sports, training, exhibition, and performance areas through a continuous network of semi-outdoor circulation paths.

Steel and Timber Form Structural and Aesthetic Core

The building's primary architectural order is defined by its exposed steel frame. Large X-shaped and V-shaped diagonal members efficiently transfer loads from cantilevered floors and the extensive roof canopy to a minimal number of ground points, allowing for a tall, open base. This structural depth is not clad but remains visible, shaping the covered public spaces.

Timber is prominently featured throughout the complex, including a timber deck, timber cladding on the volleyball court, and timber walls in the black box theater. An elevated timber walkway spans over a pond, and a timber spiral ramp connects levels within the central atrium. Additionally, an ETFE skylight provides natural light to ventilation corridors.

Porous Layout Connects Indoor and Outdoor Spaces

The complex utilizes an inverted massing strategy, where the ground-level footprint is narrower, while upper floor plates and the roof extend outwards in successive cantilevers. This configuration maximizes ground-level ventilation and public passage, creating a protective, deep tropical pavilion effect.

Large-volume functions, such as sports halls and performance spaces, are partially set below grade to leverage the earth's insulation against solar exposure. Smaller training rooms and exhibition areas occupy upper levels around courtyards.

Stacked platforms, external stairs, bridges, and sheltered balconies create a three-dimensional promenade, offering views across courtyards, sports courts, and planted roofs.

Specifying for Humid Coastal Environments

This project offers insights for specifiers and procurement teams working on large-scale developments in Asia's tropical coastal zones. The use of exposed steel for structural integrity, combined with natural timber for decking and cladding, demonstrates material durability and aesthetic integration in humid conditions.

The comprehensive water systems and extensive photovoltaic roof highlight strategies for energy efficiency and environmental management.

Procurement teams should evaluate suppliers capable of delivering engineered steel components and sustainably sourced timber products that meet performance requirements for high solar load and seasonal rainfall, ensuring materials contribute to both structural resilience and passive climate control.