Sailing in the City: Ronald Lu & Partners brings their first TOD project to Zhuhai, China

Unipark, by Ronald Lu and Partners, creates a dramatic landmark for Zhuhai with its “Sailing in the City” design concept

November 2022: Award-winning architecture practice Ronald Lu & Partners (RLP), known for their sustainable, human-centric and future-ready designs, is building on its achievements in China’s Greater Bay Area by bringing their first Transit-oriented Development (TOD) project to Zhuhai. The multi-purpose Unipark is designed to be an “urban regenerator”, revitalising the city and bringing it to a new level, drawing in new residents, businesses and visitors. Unipark’s sustainable, biophilic design encourages a healthy lifestyle for users and residents by embracing natural landscapes and creating new open spaces that are fully accessible to the surrounding communities.

To bring their design to life, the firm leveraged their understanding of the local culture and lifestyle, while incorporating their international perspective and years of experience with TOD projects around Asia. Overlooking the Qianshan River and connected to an intercity rail station, Unipark meets a wide variety of urban needs: business, entertainment, dining, shopping, and a myriad of services for residents. The development has a gross floor area of nearly 480,000 sq. m., comprising a shopping mall, five-star hotel, mega-high-rise Grade A office tower, river view residences, serviced apartments, and an underground car park. Its shopping mall elevates the standard in Zhuhai to match first-tier cities like Guangzhou and Shenzhen, and has attracted an impressive tenant profile of over 200 brands, 60 of which chose Unipark to be their first stores in Zhuhai.

Drawing inspiration from the waterfront it overlooks, Unipark’s “Sailing in the City” design features three high-rise towers flanking the shopping mall, evoking the sails of a ship and providing a dramatic visual landmark for the area. Through parametric design, RLP was able to create a free-form roof defined by sweeping curves, a feature that is carried over to the monumental canopy on the south side. The entrance’s multi-layered wave-shaped façade features a complex textured finish, allowing light to bounce off its surface like sunlight on water. Light continues to play a central role throughout Unipark, with undulating lines of light used throughout to mimic waterfalls and running water, creating a sense of fluidity and a tranquil, almost aquatic environment for users. ​

With biophilic design at its core, the development embraces the natural landscape and its surrounding communities, featuring a waterfront park, terraced garden and open-air square that are accessible to all. Trees line the exterior, providing greenery for residents and reducing noise levels from the nearby road. A sunken plaza further reduces traffic noise and provides a naturally-lit atrium which keeps visitors connected to the outdoors while maintaining a comfortable temperature and reducing energy consumption. In this way, it was RLP’s intention to make Unipark an integral part of life for the inhabitants of Zhuhai – creating a new lifestyle for people and encouraging the active use of its waterfront promenades and multi-functional piazzas.

The biophilic design of Unipark, by Ronald Lu and Partners, includes a sunken, naturally-lit atrium and interior lighting that mimics waterfalls and running water

“Our aim was to raise the quality of life, convenience and wellbeing of the local community, which we achieved by planning key aspects of this rapidly-urbanising city to encourage a low-carbon, convenient and healthy lifestyle. Unipark’s location is superb: its dual-core bus and railway encourages low carbon commuting and promotes sustainable urban growth. Our extensive and growing experience and expertise with next-generation TOD designs in ultra-high-density urban environments will allow RLP to continue creating people-centric, sustainable developments that make the future brighter for the Greater Bay Area and other cities in China.”
​Bryant Lu, Vice Chairman of Ronald Lu & Partners

The waterfront promenades and multi-functional piazzas of Unipark, by Ronald Lu and Partners, are becoming an integral part of life for the people of Zhuhai