The Dual Pulse: Urbanus Shenzhen Resurrects the Hakka Spirit in Longgang

Project Info

Project Name: Hakka Academy & Longgang Twin Stars

Architects: Urbanus Shenzhen

Location: Longgang District, Shenzhen, China

The Dual Pulse: Urbanus Shenzhen Resurrects the Hakka Spirit in Longgang — Photograph: WAD

Aerial context reveals the academy nestled within Longgang's urban fabric

In the rapid urbanization of Shenzhen, the historic Hakka walled villages often vanish under the weight of glass and steel. However, at Longgang, the firm Urbanus Shenzhen led by Meng Yan and Wen Ting has proposed a radical alternative to erasure. The Hakka Academy and Longgang Twin Stars project is an architectural dialogue that spans centuries. It rejects the idea that heritage must be static and instead treats the historic site as a vital organ for a new urban body.

Rooftop greenery and curved pavilions merge pedagogy with play

The project is rooted in the "Hakka Academy," which occupies the meticulously restored remains of a traditional walled compound. Urbanus did not treat the ancient walls as mere decoration. They used the historic footprint to dictate the flow of modern pedagogy. By inserting new structural elements into the old courtyards, the architects created a layered interior world where students move between the rough textures of the past and the clean functionality of the present. This "Surgical Preservation" ensures that the academy feels anchored in the local soil even as it serves a global educational purpose.

Raw concrete facade meets the street with quiet urban presence

Rising directly from this horizontal heritage are the Longgang Twin Stars. These towers serve as the vertical counterpart to the enclosed village logic. Rather than creating isolated sky-scrapers, Urbanus designed the towers to function as "Vertical Villages." The Twin Stars are connected by multi-level sky-bridges and public terraces that act as elevated extensions of the traditional village square. These spaces foster the same sense of communal "friction" that once defined life within the Hakka walls, but re-imagined for the high-density reality of 21st-century China.

Landscaped terraces invite students into communal green dialogue

Materiality serves as the primary storyteller in this project. The base of the complex celebrates the traditional grey brick and masonry techniques of the Hakka people, providing a sense of geological weight. As the building rises, these heavy materials transition into fair-faced concrete and expansive glass, symbolizing the region's technological leap. This gradient of materials allows the building to "grow" out of history, creating a visual bridge between the manual craftsmanship of the ancestors and the industrial precision of modern Shenzhen.

The Twin Stars kindergarten floats softly among soaring towers

The most daring move by Urbanus is the "Porous Ground" strategy. The architects opened up the previously defensive and exclusive village layout to the public. By creating a network of paths that weave through the academy and under the Twin Stars, the site becomes a public shortcut and a community hub. The architecture no longer walls people out; it draws the city in. The courtyards that once protected the clan now host public exhibitions, markets, and social gatherings, turning the project into a catalyst for the entire district's social renewal.

Blue track and green pitch breathe life into the open courtyard

The Hakka Academy and Longgang Twin Stars demonstrate that the future of the Chinese city lies in the "Middle Ground." Urbanus Shenzhen has crafted a space where the ghost of the village and the spirit of the skyscraper coexist in a productive tension. It is a bold statement that the most innovative way to build the future is to listen closely to the echoes of the past.