The Dongguan District is located at Binhai Bay in China’s Pearl River Delta, strategically situated between Shenzhen’s airport and the city of Guangzhou. An international competition asked for ways to capitalize on the heavy flow of traffic between them while also addressing extreme environmental risks: the World Bank ranks the Pearl River Delta at the top of its list for expected economic losses due to climate change. The area is subjected to tropical cyclones and storm surges; 85 percent of its land is due to be inundated before 2100.
The concept of fluidity helped direct planning decisions that could connect the site’s social, environmental, and capital dispositions in this future “Delta City”. Operating from the fundamental knowledge that the area could at times be up to four meters underwater, a second public ground level was established throughout the project at that height. Plugging into the suggested walkways and bridges in that elevated grid is a landscape urbanism “kit of parts” designed to facilitate constructive interchanges between building forms and architecture. Intersecting civic and hydrological systems will facilitate knowledge transfer between the region’s social and civic realms.
Santaluz
This planned community 30 minutes north of San Diego is a testament to the collaboration of a visionary client, talented land planner, and creative designers and marketers. Set gracefully on its rolling site and preserving over half its acreage as open space, Santaluz is both a model of environmental planning and a financial success, out-performing all its loc...
OCT Bay
Located in Shenzhen, OCT Bay has a combined site area of approximately 1.25 square kilometers including equal parts new urban center and nature preserve. SWA provided both master planning and landscape architectural services for the entire site. As a new urban cultural and entertainment destination, OCT Bay provides urban amenities, entertainment components, p...
Nanchang Xiangnan Urban Infill
Situated in the capital city of Jiangxi Province, which is known for its rich cultural and ecological resources, the Nanchang Urban Infill project strives to weave two new districts into the historical heart of the city. To the west, a tower and mall create a modern icon for Nanchang. Here, the landscape reinforces the architectural design through a fluid, con...
Cross Creek Ranch
As urban areas expand, degraded lands robbed of natural resilience and biodiversity often lie in development’s path—presenting both challenges and opportunities. The Flewellen Creek Restoration project transforms a derelict 130-acre ranching ditch into a vibrant 3-mile ecosystem, anchoring the new 3,200-acre Cross Creek Ranch community.
Rooted in ...