The KING ONE Community Center in Zhuhai, China, represents an innovative architectural solution that transforms four disconnected buildings into a cohesive community hub. Located in Jinwan Aviation New City, one of Zhuhai's fastest-growing districts, this 56,589 square meter project by E+UV architects addresses the urgent need for community facilities in an area experiencing rapid population growth.

The original site presented significant challenges, consisting of four standalone ancillary buildings surrounded by dense housing developments. These structures suffered from critical design flaws including closed facades, disconnected circulation systems, and a complete lack of functional synergy between buildings. The rushed planning process had resulted in buildings that failed to serve the community's growing needs effectively.

Initially, the client proposed a conventional renovation approach, planning to upgrade facades and assign distinct functions to each building - offices, community activities, and retail spaces - to serve as ancillary facilities supporting daily community life. However, the project faced severe budget constraints that would have limited any conventional renovation to delivering only piecemeal improvements that wouldn't address the fundamental connectivity issues.

Recognizing these limitations, E+UV architects developed a revolutionary new strategy during their on-site investigations. The design team, led by Chief Architects Coco Zhou and Li Fu, along with Project Director Guo Sibo, identified that creating a true community hub required more than simple facade upgrades - it demanded a complete reimagining of the site's potential and spirit of place.

The breakthrough came when the architects recognized a long-overlooked gem adjacent to the site: a municipal green park that had been underutilized despite its prime location. Rather than treating the four buildings as separate entities, the design team envisioned them as components of a larger community ecosystem that would integrate seamlessly with the neighboring green space.

The architectural solution involved creating new circulation pathways and connections between the previously isolated structures, transforming them into a unified community center that serves multiple functions while maintaining visual and functional coherence. The design team, including Li Geng, Huang Haifeng, Dong Siyi, Li Xin, Zhang Yan, Wang Junli, Huang Xiaorui, Yan Yurong, Zhang Xubin, and Sun Hongnan, worked collaboratively to ensure every aspect of the renovation supported the overarching vision of community integration.

Landscape design played a crucial role in the project's success, with HTLA Design Studio providing both landscape scheme and construction drawings. Chief Landscape Designer Fan Ye, working alongside Project Director He Yixiang and their team including Fan Xiaoxu, Zheng Yanlin, Zhang Dingding, Qin Weiyan, Liu Jingjing, Li Shuixing, Qi Zhijuan, and Huang Xiaolian, created outdoor spaces that blur the boundaries between the built environment and the natural park setting.

Completed in 2025, the KING ONE Community Center now serves as a model for adaptive reuse projects in rapidly developing urban areas. The project demonstrates how thoughtful architectural intervention can transform disconnected buildings into vibrant community assets, proving that budget constraints need not limit creative solutions when architects think beyond conventional renovation approaches.