Located in a rapidly growing tech and innovation district in Zhengzhou, Zhenghong Grand Plaza reflects a shift in Chinese commercial development toward youth, cultural experiences, and integrated public realm design. Spanning 9 acres along a key corridor in the city’s Commercial Business District, the plaza frames a new RTKL-designed mixed-use center that gives form to four distinct areas.
Long, sinuous paving bands lead visitors through a sequence of elliptical water features embedded with 256 sensor jets and sunken lighting. Using recycled rainwater, the plaza cuts total water consumption by 70%. An 800-seat oval amphitheater carves below grade, with terraced planting beds and seating forming a shaded bowl for performances, screenings, and gatherings anchored by an LED screen and flexible stage. Nearby, China’s first outdoor steel-wood composite skatepark supports youth activity and active recreation.
Along the retail frontage, multipurpose zones accommodate vendors, sport courts, and temporary programming. Throughout the plaza, public artworks curated by Spanish artist Okuda San Miguel introduce playful color and geometry—most notably a faceted rabbit sculpture with touch-activated multilingual greetings.
Wuhan Huafa Capital Park
Wuhan Huafa Capital Development is located in the city’s urban core, amidst the hustle and bustle of busy streets and neighborhoods. The nearly 57,000-square-foot green space, adjacent to the Wuhan Capital Residential Development Sales Center, is envisioned to provide an immersive landscape experience for the sales center’s model housing area during the advert...
Zobon City Villas
SWA provided landscape architectural services for this residential condominium site in Shanghai. The open space layout is comprised of three gardens, each creating a unique environment for the tenants. The Huangpu Abstraction garden is the public face of the project and is expressed with a 2.5m tall stacked glass fountain. The Sky Garden is the center piece of...
Paveletskaya Plaza
Situated along Moscow’s Ring Road and adjacent to the legendary Paveletsky Station transportation hub, the park at Paveletskaya Plaza will both cover and reveal the new bustling underground retail facility below while also serving as a landmark destination for residents and visitors alike.
The extraordinary retail and architectural vision for Paveletska...
Burlingame Town Square
Since its founding in the early 1900s, Burlingame lacked a signature downtown open space. In 2009, the mayor and council kicked off an initiative to make downtown more pedestrian-friendly, including enhancing the Burlingame Avenue retail main street. The capstone of that initiative is the transformation of a one-acre parking lot between Park Road and Lorton Av...