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.
San Jacinto Plaza
SWA’s redesign of San Jacinto Plaza, a historic gathering place in El Paso’s downtown business district provides a state-of-the-art urban open space, while protecting and celebrating the history and culture of the site. The project was the result of an intensive community process involving input from a wide range of constituents. Active programming, environmen...
Gantry Plaza State Park
Once a working waterfront teeming with barges, tugboats, and rail cars, the Hunter’s Point shoreline slowly succumbed to the realities of the Post-Industrial Age and this spectacular site was left to deteriorate. Thomas Balsley Associates, together with Weintraub di Domenico, envisioned Gantry Plaza State Park as a place that celebrates its past, future, skyli...
Cool & Connected Corridors
Houston is one of the hottest cities in the U.S.—especially downtown, with limited tree canopy and long stretches of exposed pavement. Opening ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Cool and Connected Corridors is a phased effort to make Downtown Houston more walkable, comfortable, and legible in a hotter climate. The first phase focuses on Texas Avenue, a key east...
World Trade Center Seoul
Along Yeongdong-daero, one of Seoul’s major arteries, SWA’s winning design for the World Trade Center Seoul integrates triple rows of plane trees on a raised platform with adjacent clusters of ginkgo, oaks, maple, and pine, forming a green corridor that connects the World Trade Center Seoul to the planned Gangnam Intermodal Transit Center (GITC), Hyundai Globa...