China’s Got Talent – 10 Awesome Projects From China

Article by Lidija Šuster Following on in our world series we have selected 10 awesome projects that perfectly represent landscape architecture in China today. It is known world-wide that China is a very active country in all areas of life (civil engineering, martial arts, all sorts of industry, etc.), but what stands out the most is the landscape architecture. As a part of a “Got Talent” series, like USA’s Got Talent and Britain’s Got Talent, we are now introducing you to the top 10 outstanding projects from China. Let’s take a closer look at them, because they’re showing us what sustainability, functionality, creativity, and environmental care really means.

10 Awesome Projects From The China

10. Zhengzhou Vanke Central Plaza, by Locus Associates, Zhengzhou Creating high-quality public space should require a good and functional design. But most importantly, public spaces are being designed for people and therefore must be in accordance with people’s requirements and needs. Locus Associates did exactly the right thing, and the Zhengzhou Vanke Central Plaza has become a very popular social area. Implementing proper spatial circulation with shortcuts, landforming, water features, and human-scaled elements, this Plaza hits the jackpot.

9. One Island East, by Hargreaves Associates, in Taikoo Place, Hong Kong Creating an urban plaza that should satisfy the needs of a densely inhabited building and a commercial office tower, simply said, requires a major amount of knowledge, skill, and imagination. Hargreaves Associates successfully solved the problems of a densely populated area by creating a vivid and useful space. This dominantly rhomboid-shaped dplaza connects people in a human-scaled landscape, and furthermore, brings viridity into the surrounding concrete jungle. 8. Earthly Pond Service Center of International Horticultural Exposition 2014, by HHD_FUN, in Qingdao, Shandong When creative and talented minds combine environmental elements, human needs, and architecture into the landscape, in the end it certainly must be piece of art. The HHD_FUN designers played with geometry and the result was a strong connection between landscape architecture and nature. Providing fluidity in space through a diamond-shaped grid system, they managed to implement water, vegetation, architecture, and a peaceful place for humans, with perfect preservation of nature. 7. The Red Ribbon Park, by Turenscape, Tanghe River, Qinhuangdao City, Hebei Province The edges of beaches are often neglected and hard to maintain. That also happened in Qinhuangdao, where the beach was nothing more than a garbage dump. Fortunately, the Turenscape designers renewed this area into an amazing landscape. According to plan, they preserved as much of the natural river corridor as possible, promoting diversity of vegetation and access for wildlife. The name Red Ribbon stands for the 500-meter-long red-colored steel structure that stretches through the park, which glows at night, therefore becoming even more interesting and attractive. 6. Where the River Runs, by Penda, inside the 10th China International Garden Expo, Wuhan, Beijing Expressed through its motto “An ode to water”, this project gives a true illustration of how water connects humankind with the planet. Water is a major part of human body, and therefore is essential for our survival. Further, rivers and oceans are bringing rich flora and fauna upon which many people’s lives depend. The importance of clean water and a healthy environment is clearly exposed through the whole garden, as the Penda designers called it: “Where the River Runs.” 5. The Soundwave, by Penda, in Xiangyang, Hubei Imagine entering into a landscape made up of water and stones, but instead of plants there are more than 500 vertical stainless-steel fins. This doesn’t have to mean something bad; instead, the result is more than awesome. The Soundwave project carries along a deep meaning – putting together music, art, and nature, playing with the senses through light, sound, colors, shades, and reflections. The myrtle-purple color of the pillars creates an outstanding landmark, which subtly invites visitors further into the natural landscape of the Myrtle Tree Garden. 4. Quzhou Luming Park by Turenscape, in Quzhou, Zhejiang This park represents simplicity of natural processes, but also brings sustainability and an economy-boost to the region. Designed in such a way as to respect nature, the Quzhou Luming Park is becoming a green oasis. The Turenscape designers tried to go as natural as they could, so they implemented natural-red sandstone into their design and used floodplain-fertile soil for planting low-maintenance plants. Additionally, according to their words, they were “making friends” with the water by only minimally interfering with the river. 3. Slow Down: Liupanshui Minghu Wetland Park, by Turenscape, in Liupanshui, Guizhou Province The designers of Liupanshui Minghu Wetland Park transformed a seriously deteriorated peri-urban site into a regenerative and highly ecological area. This nationally-celebrated wetland park developed a holistic strategy to solve severe problems like the regeneration of the River Shuichenghe, extensive water pollution, and many others. The final task was to bring people into the restored green space, because that was much needed in a densely populated area like Liupanshui. With successful completion of the required tasks, this project won a 2014 ASLA Professional Award, and according to the words of 2014 Awards Jury: “You can tell they’re actually cleaning the water with the design.” 2. Quarry Garden in Shanghai Botanical Garden, by THUPDI and Tsinghua University, Shanghai When one abandoned and ruined quarry yard gets full ecological restoration and preservation of cultural and historical heritage, then that could be considered a masterpiece of landscape architecture. Numerous challenges appeared in front of the designers, because the site had laid abandoned for a long time. Various actions were taken for its regeneration, like restoring the ecology of the quarry, making oriental-style experiences and applying difficult construction techniques. The Quarry Garden won the 2012 ASLA Honour Award, as it deserved. 1. Tianjin Cultural Park, by Atelier Dreiseitl, in the city of Tianjin In a very large city like a Tianjin, with a population of more than 14 million people, there must be some actions initiated in order to keep the environment working properly. The Atelier Dreiseitl designers, with massive qualifications in environmental engineering, have come up with a great solution for an outstanding design for a large space of 90ha. With everything else that’s on the plate here, they managed to preserve the culture of the city, as well as to collect, recycle, and purify precious water on a large scale. Needless to say, this short list is just a small chunk from the very large pie that is Chinese landscape architecture. Currently, the cities are expanding tremendously fast, and the world is more and more hungry for designers and landscape architects that have their minds oriented towards the green side of the planet. After reading about these 10 masterpieces, we recommend you stay tuned to the other works found here – because China’s really got talent. What do you think about our Top 10 projects from China? Which one is your favourite? Tell us in the comments! Go to comments Recommended Reading:

• Becoming an Urban Planner: A Guide to Careers in Planning and Urban Design by Michael Bayer
• Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design With Nature by Douglas Farrs

Article by Lidija Šuster

Published in Blog