The Shenzhen Guangming International Equestrian Center, designed by Tanghua Architects, has been completed as the primary venue for dressage and show jumping events during the 15th National Games. Located in Guangming Subdistrict, Guangming District, Shenzhen, China, the facility represents a significant shift in Chinese sports architecture from iconic, exaggerated forms toward human-centered design that emphasizes public engagement and connection to the surrounding urban environment.

The project occupies a site area of 50,018 square meters with a total floor area of 44,600 square meters. The comprehensive facility includes the main arena, indoor and outdoor training grounds, competition facilities, and equine housing capable of accommodating up to 120 horses. Lead architect Tang Hua worked with a substantial design team including Zhang Qiulong, Xu Senmao, Deng Fang, Peng Jian, and other specialists to create this multifunctional equestrian complex.

The site's topography presented unique challenges, with significant slopes running from the urban road on the west to natural mountain terrain on the east. The design team leveraged these natural conditions by strategically placing a stilted parking garage along the road and elevating the main activity spaces. This approach minimized excavation requirements while preserving the existing mountain landscape, demonstrating environmental sensitivity in the project's execution.

The main arena embodies the design concept "A New Realm of Timber, Shared Eaves, Shared Views," featuring a full glulam (glued laminated timber) structure. The architectural form draws inspiration from traditional Chinese sloped roof typology while maintaining the archetypal timber frame and projecting an unconventional volumetric presence. This innovative approach results in a densely layered, radiating beam system that reveals the structural logic while reinterpreting timber aesthetics in a contemporary context.

The venue's spatial design prioritizes openness and user interaction, transforming traditional guided viewing experiences into immersive engagement opportunities. The arrangement creates a series of connected yet independent courtyard-like zones that evoke the historical character of Lingnan's vernacular architecture. Various corridors of different scales connect spaces across multiple elevations at ground level, allowing natural light, wind, and landscape elements to penetrate the building through strategic openings.

This integration of natural elements creates serendipitous encounters between visitors and their environment, reinforcing a distinctly Chinese cultural atmosphere while providing rich, multi-sensory experiences. The design emphasizes emotional resonance and cultural expression, successfully reinterpreting traditional architectural elements to meet contemporary cultural needs and expectations.

The architectural approach achieves seamless integration between form and structure, creating transparency and meaningful interaction between interior and exterior spaces. The continuous, lightweight façade accentuates the hovering eaves effect, reinforcing regional cultural identity while maintaining modern functionality. Beneath these shared eaves, mountains, wind, light, shadow, people, and horses coexist in a symbiotic relationship that harmonizes with the natural environment.

The project team included extensive collaboration between Tanghua Architects and Shenzhen Machinery Institute Architectural Design Co., Ltd., serving as the local design institute. Technical leadership was provided by Tang Zenghong, with project leads Sun Yue and Liu Mengchao overseeing local design implementation. Specialized teams handled structural design, water systems, air conditioning, electrical systems, sustainability measures, and prefabricated construction elements.

Construction was completed by China Construction Eighth Engineering Bureau Co., Ltd., with timber structure expertise provided by Wuhan Linlang Wood Architecture Science and Technology Co., Ltd. The project was commissioned by the Bureau of Public Works of Guangming District, representing a significant public investment in sports infrastructure for the region.

The completion of the Shenzhen Guangming International Equestrian Center in 2025 marks a notable achievement in contemporary Chinese architecture, demonstrating how traditional design principles can be successfully adapted for modern sporting facilities. The project serves as an example of the current trend toward more thoughtful, contextually sensitive architectural approaches in China's rapidly developing urban landscape.