The winners of the globally recognized 2026 Architizer A+Awards were recently announced. Guangming International Equestrian Center, jointly designed by Shenzhen Machinery Institute Architectural Design under CQEC and Tanghua Architects, received the Jury Winner in the Sustainable Sports & Recreation Building category and was also shortlisted in the Sports & Recreation – Stadiums & Arenas category.
Located in Guangming Subdistrict, Guangming District, Shenzhen, the Guangming International Equestrian Center is the only newly built permanent venue for the Shenzhen competition zone of the 15th National Games and the largest single-span glulam sports building in China. The project covers a site area of 50,190 square meters, with a total gross floor area of 48,435 square meters, and serves as the venue for the National Games' core equestrian events, including dressage and show jumping. During the Games, the venue accommodated 200 professional competition horses and was equipped with a full range of facilities meeting the standards for international five-star equestrian events.
Guided by the design concept of "A New Vision in Timber Architecture, Shared Roofscapes", the project integrates the aesthetics of traditional Chinese pitched-roof architecture with an innovative long-span steel-and-timber hybrid structural system. Individual glulam beams extend up to 96 meters in length, while the maximum structural span reaches 66 meters. The 20-meter cantilevered timber roof set a new national record for timber structural spans in sports buildings, achieving a seamless integration of traditional timber craftsmanship and modern engineering technology. Since its completion, the venue has successfully hosted the equestrian events of the 15th National Games, the National Equestrian League, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Equestrian Exchange Competition, and a series of other major cultural and sporting events. Its distinctive architectural design, high-standard competition facilities and low-carbon, sustainable design philosophy have won high praise from the International Federation for Equestrian Sports and industry experts, making it a new cultural landmark in Guangming District.
This international architectural award is a strong testament to CQEC's comprehensive capabilities in green and low-carbon architecture. Going forward, Shenzhen Machinery Institute Architectural Design will continue to deepen its expertise in green and low-carbon building design, explore innovative approaches to architectural design, and create more benchmark urban architectural projects of the highest quality.
