In the strategy for the upcoming integration of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province, the city of Tianjin has been identified as an advanced national manufacture and research base, as well as a core area of international shipping, a financial innovation demonstration zone, and a pilot region for the overall reformation of the area. The location of the SWA-designed Central Park provides a setting that stands poised to reflect the foundation of Tianjin’s industrial past, its traditional and emerging culture, and its trajectory forward as a global city. It lies at the crossroads of the CBD, Culture Center, Yujiapu Train Station and Tianjin Commercial Center and represents a collage of historic and new urban expression. Ziyun Park, built earlier, stands at the core of the park. It was created upon the spoils of the alkaline factory and began the trend toward re-imagining the industrial city as a model of economic, social and environmental sustainability. With the addition of Station Park and Culture Park, a new Central Park will emerge. Central Park will adopt and build upon the basic components of Ziyun Park – forest, trails, recreation, leisure and water conservation based infrastructure. Each of the new park segments will however add a new dimension and a fresh set of experiences to Central Park. In combination, the three park ‘pockets’ will provide a rich gathering place for the community and become a symbol of Tianjin and a positive first impression for those visiting the city from afar.
Hunter's Point South Waterfront Park
Hunter’s Point South Waterfront Park was envisioned as an international model of urban ecology and a world laboratory for innovative sustainable thinking. The project is a collaboration between Thomas Balsley Associates and WEISS/MANFREDI for the open space and park design with ARUP as the prime consultant and infrastructure designer.
What was once a ba...
Terry Hershey Park
The park design includes a one-mile hike and bike trail system, a pedestrian underpass linking the park to an existing trail system, bridges over the creek, and automobile parking. Gabions were used as an environmentally friendly means of slope retention in a floodway and as a tool for creating places for people to enjoy the wooded environment. Sinuous banks a...
Haden Park
Tucked into a corner of Houston’s Spring Branch district, Haden Park has been reimagined as a shaded, amenity-rich landscape shaped by over a decade of community input. The transformation of the 12-acre site, long overlooked despite its central location, unifies the fragmented layout into a connected civic space, introducing a forest-themed play area, a dog pa...
Lianjiang Park
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...