Located between a mountain and river in rapidly growing Changsha, Lianjiang Park commands a critical juncture between city, nature, and a changing way of life. While the Lianjiang region had always been intimately linked to the water, recent urban development has resulted in a significant loss of wetlands, habitats, and the culture they give rise to.
In response to a government-proposed 3-square-kilometer new development zone with a 12-ha reservoir for urban flood control, the design team envisioned a comprehensive water system as the armature of the development, with the reservoir becoming a multifunctional open space in the city. Incorporating a 20-meter grade change, lake, wetlands, creeks, hills, terraces and islands are sculpted from existing topography, serving to store and filter drainage from surrounding urban areas before it flows into the river. Expanding the perimeter of the water body through an undulating shoreline, with a series of bays and inlets, means the ecological functions and experiential features of the reservoir are maximized along the edge. Introducing water treatment infrastructure to address water pollution and increase flood capacity creates a variety of habitats, thereby restoring water-based ecologies and cultural habits. A wide variety of recreational amenities are planned by creek and lake, including waterfront promenades and plazas, wetland gardens, education center and sports fields. Three trails traverse varying levels of the park, connecting a variety of programmed spaces and distinct landscapes. The plant selection reinforces a unique sense of place with wetland grasses, tea terraces, bamboo forest, metasequoia islands, and lotus ponds recall the traditional Lianjiang landscape. Through the synthesis of topography, hydrology and vegetation, Lianjiang Park becomes a 20-hectare living green machine, integrating human activities and serving as valuable model for sustainable urban expansion. Taking on the challenge of managing polluted runoff, the project creates a sustainable landscape where people and wildlife can find refuge and rejuvenation – under the surface as well as above.
Guiyang Hot Springs
Guiyang Hot Springs, located in Guiyang City, China, brings together the rhythm of the Nanming River, and surrounding trails and trees to create a new urban ‘living room’ in the interstitial space created by new development and roadway infrastructure. Nestled into a mountainous site, the master planning addressed elevation changes of up to 100 meters and the e...
Halperin Park
In the 1950s, I-35E was routed through the South Dallas community of Oak Cliff, demolishing a thriving Black commercial corridor and one of the first Freedmen’s towns established after the Civil War. In the decades that followed, as in so many cities across the U.S., freeway construction severed long-standing social and economic ties and set in motion decades ...
Dubai Hills Boulevard and Public Realm
Envisioned as a garden oasis strategically situated where city meets desert, Dubai Hills will be a vibrant yet elegant mixed-use community for 21st-century living. The key public realm element of this massive 1,000-hectare development is a 5.6-kilometer urban boulevard lined with shops, residences, and offices along the district’s central spine. SWA/Balsley de...
China Beach
China Beach acts as an amphitheater to take in the drama of the San Francisco Golden Gate: the ebb and flow of the wildlife, currents, tides, winds, fog, sun, surf, and marine traffic. Ultimately, this larger landscape and the landscape features of a refreshed beach terrace will be the defining experience for the visitor to China Beach. We are striving to prod...