T. Y. Lin International Engineering Consulting (China) Co., Ltd.: Winner of Architect of the Year Awards 2024. As the main venue for the 2024 Chengdu World Horticultural Expo, the design team approached the project from both planning and landscape design perspectives. They respected the site’s natural topography while creating an urban public space that reflects Chinese environmental aesthetics and captures the cultural essence of Sichuan Province.

Moreover, the design strategically facilitates domestic and international exchanges, enhances cultural tourism, and incorporates urban service amenities, aligning with the core values of the World Horticultural Expo. By acting as a catalyst for urban events and prioritizing public landscapes, this design infuses new energy and vitality into the city’s green development.

Design Challenge:

The project is located in Chengdu’s Eastern New District, bordered by Tianfu International Airport to the east and the Longquan Mountains to the west. Covering 242 hectares, the landscape features gently rolling hills and valleys, with elevation changes reaching up to 50 meters. The Jiangxi River, a tributary of the Tuo River, meanders through this scenic area, interspersed with valley farmlands and lush mountain forests, reminiscent of a classic Sichuan pastoral painting.

This project faces the complex challenge of preserving the area’s natural features amid its intricate topography and meeting the demands of a major exposition. These demands include effective spatial planning, traffic management, exhibition organization, and event operations. Furthermore, the project must tackle the issue of sustainable utilization after the event, aligning with green, low-carbon, sustainable, open, and shared event management principles. Addressing these challenges is at the forefront of the project’s objectives.

Design Strategy & Design Innovation:

1. End-to-End Sustainability

Unlike venues built solely for temporary exhibitions, the master plan was developed from the start with a vision for post-event use, focusing on the cultivation and research of flower and plant seedlings, supported by educational programs, recreational tourism, and community services.

Following the exposition, the site will evolve into a multifunctional complex serving as a hub for production, education, research, tourism, and residential living.

Key facilities, such as the main exhibition hall, will be repurposed into a cultural and arts center for the district, while the botanical greenhouse will be transformed into a center for flower research and science.

The surrounding landscapes will be conserved and redeveloped into a new public park for the city. This forward-thinking approach to planning, which emphasizes ecological considerations for the community after the event, guides the selection of sustainable materials, construction methods, and plant species to reduce waste and energy use.

2. Landscape Ecology and Nature Preservation

The project prioritizes ecological and cultural harmony, inspired by ancient principles advocating for natural integration with the environment.

The initial phase involved detailed surveys to identify and catalog hundreds of large trees and forest patches, preserving them to establish a verdant backdrop for the exposition.

Additionally, the project involves flood management and ecological restoration of water bodies, planting submerged, floating, and emergent aquatic plants, and introducing various fish species to attract insects and birds, thus creating a stable riparian ecosystem.

Notably, the site extensively incorporates Low Impact Development (LID) techniques to enhance the water recycling system, including permeable paving, grass swales, dry creeks, recessed green spaces, and green roofs to maintain the water storage capacity of woodlands, grasslands, and wetlands. For instance, the main entrance area alone is expected to collect 2,500 tons of rainwater annually, sufficient for the daily irrigation needs of 2 hectares of green space.

3. Modern Layout with Chinese Garden Narrative

The landscape design employs traditional gardening techniques to shape main pathways that gracefully wind through the extensive landscape, seamlessly integrating with the natural terrain.

To meet the specific requirements of the exposition, the park is organized into seven thematic zones—the Chinese Horticulture, Tianfu Habitat, International Horticulture, Children’s Dream, Future Horticulture, Comprehensive Service, and Life Gardening Horticulture.

In addition, with strategically placed pavilions, the views mirror the spatial relationships and aesthetic principles in traditional Chinese gardens and create a vibrant and engaging viewing experience.

4. Low Carbon Footprint and Energy Efficiency

The selection of construction materials includes laminated bamboo slate and traditional bamboo craftsmanship paired with contemporary steel and timber for constructing stages and stations. Unique to the region, Sichuan’s red sandstone is employed for building walls and pathways, enriched with recycled local materials such as aged bricks, tiles, and stone debris to cultivate a landscape deeply reflective of Sichuan’s heritage. To ensure sustainability beyond the exhibition, the design integrates sunlight simulation to judiciously select deciduous species like the Chengdu city tree, Ginkgo biloba, and native plants like Cornus capitata var. emeiensis and Lilium regale.

These species are chosen to beautify main roads and communal areas across all seasons. Additionally, the design incorporates integrated seating and “mist forest” modules that provide shade, shelter, and cooling, thereby promoting a low-carbon lifestyle.

5. Sichuan Characteristic Floriculture

The selection and display of floral plants are centered around native Chengdu species such as Hibiscus mutabilis, Alcea rosea, Paeonia anomala subsp. veitchii, Ginkgo biloba, Davidia involucrata, Ceratostigma willmottianum, and Hibiscus syriacus. These choices celebrate the region’s rich botanical heritage.

In addition, the exhibit employs traditional Sichuan-style bonsai techniques, such as the Osmanthus Vase and Crape-myrtle Hedge, with bamboo as a key element to underscore the local culture.

The display also introduces superior new flower varieties like Rosa chinensis, Iris tectorum, Rhododendron simsii Planch., and various succulents, complemented by high carbon-sequestering species such as Triadica sebifera and Buddleja lindleyana.

This thoughtful arrangement not only educates visitors on the diverse carbon sequestration capabilities of these plants but also highlights their diversity and adaptability to different environments.

Social Significance:

Moving beyond its initial emphasis on achieving international-level horticultural production and refining gardening techniques, the 2024 Chengdu Horticultural Expo has embraced a design strategy that seamlessly integrates both temporary and sustainable elements. This approach effectively tackles the challenge of repurposing large exhibition spaces after events conclude.

The design aesthetically combines traditional Chinese garden landscaping methods with a rich selection of botanical features, reimagining natural landscapes and garden flora into visions of an ideal living environment as envisioned by the public. By leveraging the scale and reach of a major expo, the event promotes principles of green ecology, energy efficiency, and sustainable practices. This initiative not only supports the broader goal of green urban development but also sets a new benchmark for Chengdu’s ambition to transform into a park city, while creating diverse and multifunctional urban spaces.

Project Details:-
Firm
T. Y. Lin International Engineering Consulting (China) Co., Ltd.

Architect
HUANG Cong, Rashwan Khalil, PU Weiran

Project Name
2024 Chengdu World Horticultural Expo: Master Planning and Landscape Design

Project Category
Landscape Design Built

Team
HUANG Cong, Rashwan Khalil, PU Weiran, YANG Jiawen, LU Shengzhong, BAI Hongmao, NIE Chuanran, LIU Yang, HE Hongmei, LIU Jingyu, LENG Miao, TANG Jie, ZHANG Jing, LUO Fangqing, LIU Yuqiao, WANG Yueyuan, HUA Ying, XIONG Yaling, WANG Xuanchen, XIAHONG Yilan, LI Fuxing, Mei Mei Isobel Williamson

Project Location
Eastern New District, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, China

Country
China

Photography ©Credit
RIYE photography