After winning a design competition in 2017, SWA undertook two projects within the Guicheng Riverfront park system, a defining blueway and leisure loop belt. The two completed parks – South Bank Waterfront Park and Eco-Island Park – are designed with distinct programmatic elements and characters based on the riverfront’s surrounding land use and urban settings, assisting the region in its transition from transportation and industrial uses to a more leisure-based orientation.
The three-kilometer-long South Bank Waterfront Park encompasses several distinct character zones, offering leisure, recreational, and event spaces for diverse users in surrounding residential communities as well as Nanhai’s financial district. The design was inspired by Foshan’s riverside history and dragon boat races, as well as by a phrase from a renowned poem: “A hundred barges are vying forward; a thousand boats are competing across the river,” These thematic elements were incorporated into the landscape, creating a distinctive series of outdoor places, water features, and furniture.
Eco-island Park is located on the west bank of the Pingzhou River, outside of the city levee system. The park seeks to establish balance within a dynamic river environment, accommodating rapidly fluctuating flood waters while establishing a restored riparian landscape. The park provides a valuable urban destination with passive recreation opportunities through a network of trails, viewing decks, restored beachfront, and children’s play environments to provide an immersive experience for a wide range of park users. The design also established a network of lakes and wetland waterways to filter stormwater and relieve hydraulic stresses on the park.
Fuyang Riverfront
Seizing the area’s reputation for “one of the best mountain and water views in the world,” the natural framework along both sides of the Fuchun River inspires this plan integrating urban spaces with landscape to create a harmonious skyline. Fuyang flourishes with economic prosperity while honoring its vibrant cultural heritage.
The scope includes urban d...
Rio 2016 Olympic Park Competition
SWA was awarded 2nd place in the 2016 Olympic Park Competition in Rio de Janeiro for their master plan and landscape architecture proposal. The Olympics will be located on a 118-hectare site in the neighborhood of Barra da Tijuca. The underlying concept of ‘Embrace’ weaves through the design in a grand planning gesture, which both defines the Olympic Games and...
Hengqin Island
Hengqin Island, located in Zhuhai, China, is embedded within a unique and beautiful landscape, and is currently being developed for urban growth throughout the region. Taking cues from the surrounding site, SWA’s master plan intends to capture the essence of the place, and pay homage to its most fundamental landscape elements: the sea, valley, and mountains. S...
Tangqiao Waterfront Park
The Tangqiao project is located along the east bank of Huangpu River in the city of Shanghai. The project consists of landscape areas in three financial-office parcels and one waterfront park parcel. The view of the site is remarkable, looking toward the landmark skyscrapers of Lujiazui Financial Center, Nanpu Bridge, the Bund, and the future Minsheng CBD.
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