Located in a rapidly growing tech and innovation district in Zhengzhou, Zhenghong Grand Plaza reflects a shift in Chinese commercial development toward youth, cultural experiences, and integrated public realm design. Spanning 9 acres along a key corridor in the city’s Commercial Business District, the plaza frames a new RTKL-designed mixed-use center that gives form to four distinct areas.
Long, sinuous paving bands lead visitors through a sequence of elliptical water features embedded with 256 sensor jets and sunken lighting. Using recycled rainwater, the plaza cuts total water consumption by 70%. An 800-seat oval amphitheater carves below grade, with terraced planting beds and seating forming a shaded bowl for performances, screenings, and gatherings anchored by an LED screen and flexible stage. Nearby, China’s first outdoor steel-wood composite skatepark supports youth activity and active recreation.
Along the retail frontage, multipurpose zones accommodate vendors, sport courts, and temporary programming. Throughout the plaza, public artworks curated by Spanish artist Okuda San Miguel introduce playful color and geometry—most notably a faceted rabbit sculpture with touch-activated multilingual greetings.
San Jacinto Plaza
SWA’s redesign of San Jacinto Plaza, a historic gathering place in El Paso’s downtown business district provides a state-of-the-art urban open space, while protecting and celebrating the history and culture of the site. The project was the result of an intensive community process involving input from a wide range of constituents. Active programming, environmen...
Nanchang Greenland Jiangxi Gaoxin
This urban open space within Nanchang’s new city center provides clear definition of building entries and functions while supporting outdoor gathering areas and circulation routes to enhance visibility, access, and full use of the project’s mixed-use program elements. The design of outdoor spaces and rooftops reflects the strong geometry of the signature tower...
Xiqu Opera Centre
After it was decided to locate the main concert venue on the building’s top floor to create a covered indoor/outdoor public realm, SWA designed the entire ground level of this venue for traditional Cantonese opera, including a dramatic, covered open-air landscape space. There, an urban stage facilitates movement, provides a gathering space, and enhances ...
Burlingame Town Square
Since its founding in the early 1900s, Burlingame lacked a signature downtown open space. In 2009, the mayor and council kicked off an initiative to make downtown more pedestrian-friendly, including enhancing the Burlingame Avenue retail main street. The capstone of that initiative is the transformation of a one-acre parking lot between Park Road and Lorton Av...