MIDEA KUKA SMART MANUFACTURING PARK PROJECT (PHASE 1)
Midea Group takes the mission “to integrate with the world and inspire the future”, and is committed to creating a better life for the consumers. In 2017, the Midea Group acquired KUKA Group, the German robotics and automation specialist, and decided to build a Smart Manufacturing Park which serves as Kuka’s South China headquarters and manufacturing base. It is located in the core area of the Convention and Exhibition City in the northern area of Shunde, Guangdong Province. VIRTUARCH was the winner of the park’s architecture design competition thanks to its visionary approach for the massive 730,000 square meters project.
Central square of the Smart Manufacturing Park
Planning ahead
The park is located at the intersection of Liaoxin Road and Jiqing Road in Shunde City, Guangdong Province. The starting phase comprises an area of 215,000 square meters. In order to meet the plan of Midea’s to gradually expand the production, VIRTUARCH planned sub-phases within the plot to help realize a step-by-step construction in the future. Different functional areas are planned, including production hall, showroom, office R&D building, social center and other facilities.
Bird’s view of the Smart Manufacturing Park
One of the highlights of this design is that both current phase and future planning are taken into consideration. The building in each phase serves as a single unit, and once all the three phases are finished, they can form a complete manufacturing system. By that time, the maximum production efficiency will be achieved.
Midea Kuka Smart Manufacturing Park 3 phases plan
Simple and Modern Style
VIRTUARCH proposed a design concept showing German Technology under a symbolic Chinese roof. A simple geometry of the roof with smooth edges remind of traditional Chinese design to reflect a contemporary and simple architecture.
Rendering of building façade
Flexible Layout
During the lifespan of the workshops, there will be continuous product changes and optimizations of production processes, making the building gradually more efficient. Having this in mind, VIRTUARCH’s key focus was on designing a two-floor production hall with a highly flexible layout that can meet all future requirements.
Extra traffic exits are designed for all directions and both floors, thus increasing the building’s efficiency. Furthermore, the layout of the workshop can be easily changed in the future.
Workshop layout
Drone photo of the building in Phase 1
Currently, the completed Phase 1 building covers an area of 81,000 square meters, and is located in the Southeast corner of the plot. Functional areas like double-story workshop, warehouse, assembly workshop, office area, meeting rooms, and other facilities are combined in a highly efficient, compact production building allowing KUKA to produce with maximum efficiency.
Drone photo of the building in Phase 1
PROJECT NAME: MIDEA KUKA SMART MANUFACTURING PARK (PHASE 1)
CLIENT: GUANGDONG MIDEA INDUSTRY TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
LOCATION: SHUNDE CITY, GUANGDONG PROVINCE, P.R.CHINA
USE: WORKSHOP, OFFICE
INDUSTRY SECTOR: AUTOMATION / ROBOTICS / AI / COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY / IT
TYPOLOGY: GREENFIELD
PROJECT SIZE: 81,000 sqm (PHASE 1)
PROJECT DATE: 2017 – 2018 (DESIGN), 2018 – 2019 (CONSTRUCTION)
SERVICES: MASTER PLANNING, ARCHITECTURE CONCEPT DESIGN, DESIGN MANAGEMENT, SITE SERVICES
