SWA recently completed a master plan for a 36 km length of the Xingyang Suo River located in Xinyang, China. Located on a site at the confluence of an elaborate network of waterways, the River has served as a transportation system for the movement of goods, services and people between Xingyang, Beijing and the coastal cities to the Southeast. This has transformed the River to be physically and ecologically compromised. The Xingyang Suo River has become a series of water holding basins engineered to hold water for municipal and commercial purposes. SWA’s master plan explores viable ecological and developmental opportunities along the river corridor. The plan’s approach aims to structure a natural system that can sustain an authentic ecological system while creating a framework for distinct development patterns. The design concept uses ‘big nature’ as its guiding principle and is based on an authentic understanding of how natural systems have operated and continue to work at a scale much larger than most urban cities. Within the concept, ‘big’ describes the mechanism for the integration of robust contiguous systems such as engineered hydrologic flows, pedestrian trails, recreation systems, and transit, while ‘nature’ incorporates a new ecological approach founded on the principles of natural landscapes. SWA’s design concept addresses an entire watershed, provides innovative solutions to balance natural resources while creating opportunities for development, tourism, recreation, and healthy living.
Dubai Creek Harbor
Dubai Creek Harbor is a progressive and innovative new neighborhood that aims to respond to environmental concerns with professional, best-practice measures that will ensure an environment that is healthy, accessible, and environmentally responsible.
The storied history, culture, and nature of Dubai Creek serves as the inspiration for the design of Duba...
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...
Hangzhou Hubin
West Lake in Hangzhou, China, one of the world’s most romantic places and as familiar an icon as the Great Wall or the Forbidden City, has been designated by the United Nations as one of the World Cultural Heritage Sites. Seven hundred years later, the city that served ancient emperors as a capitol boasts a population of over three million and is still a...
Ningbo East New Town Civic Plaza
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 plann...