Wuhan Ice & Snow Center — Project Case Study

Location: Hanyang District, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China Scale: 31,000 m² Gross Floor Area Total Investment: Over RMB 1 billion (approx. USD 140 million) Completion Year: 2024

The Challenge

Wuhan, widely recognized as one of China’s "Three Furnaces", has an extremely harsh summer climate: temperatures regularly exceed 35°C with relative humidity above 80%. Delivering a year-round indoor snow facility in such a hot and humid environment — and within a dense urban core — imposes extremely stringent requirements on thermal engineering, humidity control and operational energy efficiency. The client, Hubei Culture & Tourism Group, required a landmark destination capable of maintaining a stable -4°C to -6°C cold zone 365 days a year with consistent, high-quality snow.

Our Scope & Solution

Beijing Yangsheng Ice & Snow Technology was appointed as the specialist technical consultant for the snow arena’s refrigeration and snowmaking systems, providing end-to-end technical services from conceptual design through to system commissioning and handover.

Schematic & Construction Design

We delivered full system design for the snow hall’s cold zone, covering five core disciplines:

Cold Zone Master Planning & Circulation: Overall refrigerated area layout, visitor flow optimization and functional zoning

Theming & Functional Zoning: Immersive snowscape design, activity zone configuration and attraction planning

Cold-Resistant Specialty Lighting: Low-temperature adapted lighting system design for immersive visual effects

Auxiliary MEP & ELV Systems: Supporting mechanical, electrical and plumbing design, plus low-voltage intelligent control systems

Acoustic Design: Sound absorption and noise control solutions tailored for enclosed refrigerated spaces

On-Site Technical Supervision

We deployed a dedicated on-site technical team throughout the construction phase, providing step-by-step guidance for all critical works: equipment positioning, piping network installation, system pressure testing, thermal insulation installation and chiller unit commissioning. When unforeseen interface issues arose between the refrigeration circuit and building structure, our engineers delivered on-site solutions promptly to keep the project on schedule and within quality standards.

System Commissioning & Optimization

In collaboration with the general contractor, our team executed full integrated commissioning of the refrigeration and snowmaking system: fine-tuning glycol loop temperatures, calibrating snow gun output to match indoor ambient conditions, and stress-testing PLC control logic under peak load scenarios. The system achieved stable, uniform snow quality from the first day of public operation.

Project Outcome

Opened in 2024, Wuhan Ice & Snow Center immediately established itself as a landmark ice & snow destination in Central China. The facility features multiple professional ski trails (beginner, intermediate and advanced), a terrain park, and an immersive snow play zone with distinctive Hubei cultural elements.

Key Operational Performance

Stable cold zone temperature of -4°C to -6°C, with control accuracy within ±0.5°C

Designed peak daily visitor capacity of over 3,000

Direct metro access for seamless urban connectivity

This project demonstrates our proven capability to deliver robust, energy-efficient refrigeration and snowmaking solutions in one of the world’s most climatically challenging environments, while managing complex multi-party coordination on a constrained urban construction site.

Core Services Delivered by Beijing Yangsheng

Full cold zone system design (schematic design + construction drawings across 5 disciplines)

Full-time on-site technical supervision throughout construction

Integrated system commissioning, optimization and handover support