As an extension of the Ningbo East New Town Government Center, this civic plaza extends the geometry and ecology of SWA’s past work in the city. A central civic axis runs from the government buildings to the Dongqian Lake edge, providing a large, flexible gathering/event space adjacent to an expansive lawn as well as sweeping views of the water. Per city planning guidelines, the lake required a hard edge to the west of the main axis. This takes the form of a wide terraced stair that establishes spaces for viewing and relaxation, while also acting as a geometric and spatial extension of the Planning Museum and its associated outdoor spaces.
Just to the west of the main lawn, a formal tree bosque occupies a partially sunken garden, lined with terraced seating and surfaced in decomposed granite. The easternmost part of the lake edge traces an organic irregular shape surrounded by lush and varied aquatic plantings, blending seamlessly into the eco-corridor site to the east. A secluded cluster of islands provides wildlife habitat, incorporating birdwatching blinds along a wooden boardwalk. Taken in total, the design creates a unique landscape experience to serve as a driving principle for the city’s ongoing development.
Pacific Plaza
The latest step in the renaissance of Downtown Dallas has arrived with Pacific Plaza, a 3.89-acre public park that serves the central business district’s burgeoning population and contributes substantially to the city’s outdoor experience. The first of an ambitious four-park initiative, Pacific Plaza complements adjacent urban greenspace with a varied program ...
Changsha Baxizhou Island
Over many decades, public agencies in China have sought to solve growing flooding issues in a defensive way: fortifying and hardening river edges, raising levee heights, and ultimately separating the people from historical connections to the water. With an understanding of river flow processes and volumes and of wetland and native forest ecology, this separati...
Milton Street Park
Milton Street Park is a 1.2-acre linear urban park alongside the Ballona Creek Bike Trail in Los Angeles, California. The plan incorporates numerous green-design elements, including the use of recycled materials, native planting, flow-through planters and treatment alongside the 1,000-foot-long, 45-foot-wide stretch of land. A variety of special elements such...
The Clearing: Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial
This project was designed to honor the 20 children and six educators who were slain on Dec 14, 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Designers Dan Affleck and Ben Waldo created a competition-winning design for a memorial space which is both open-ended and unifying in how it is experienced, honoring the full spectrum of emotions this tragedy evokes. They wanted...