Arcplus (Arcplus Shanghai Xiandai Architectural Decoration & Landscape Design Research Institute Co., Ltd. ): Winner of World Design Awards 2024. The Central Green Axis Park of Shanghai Jiading New Town, as the most important landscape axis in the central area of Jiading New Town, is adjacent to the Jiading Library and Poly Theater. The project extends to the west with Yuanxiang Lake as the core, stretching 3.1 kilometres from east to west, and the whole park covers about 104 hectares, including 34.5 hectares of water. The park is a meeting point for the surrounding waterways and woodlands, which provides a good foundation for building the ecological system of the new town in the future.

Due to outdated facilities and early single-function planning, the pre-renovation park faced the problem of not being able to provide adequate public activity space for the neighbouring community. With limited time and funding, the design team improved the park’s landscaping, traffic, lighting and activity features in relation to the ecological conditions of the area. The renovated park has not only become one of the first outdoor urban sports centres in Shanghai in the post-pandemic era, but also carries the function of outdoor display of cultural and artistic activities in Jiading New Town.

Project narrative and content

Site overview

The site is in excellent ecological condition, boasting numerous waterways such as lakes, rivers, and streams. The trees have thrived over the years. However, there are some issues that need to be addressed. Park facilities are in need of repairs and there are areas with high planting densities, resulting in a dense woodland space and limited space for movement. The park spans seven neighborhoods, leading to challenges such as a disjointed slow-moving system, insufficient road widths in localized areas, large but lackluster water-friendly areas, broken trestles along the river posing safety hazards, and inadequate lighting at night.

Landscape designers aim to address these issues within the constraints of limited funds and construction period by integrating site traffic and functional requirements while maintaining good ecological status and improving biological diversity. They also plan to consider the unique characteristics of different areas and integrate public activities seamlessly into the design to create leisure spaces for Jiading New Town citizens’ cultural and artistic outdoor activities.

Design strategy

The renewed design strategy is based on respecting the site’s status quo and ecological values. Based on the protection of the existing trees and water quality of the site, the design team carried out a holistic planning and regeneration, combining the characteristics of the existing parks within the site to form three main sections, namely Central Activities, Ecological Recreation and Energetic Sports. By combing the walking, cycling and water-friendly trails, the site is linked together, adding outdoor sports, family and community activities, cultural activities and performances. At the same time, the culture and characteristics of Jiading, such as the purple colour of grapes, the fragrance of lotus flowers, and the display of Jiading’s non-heritage culture, are integrated into the design of the site.

Spatial system combing

The design team overhauled the park, restored the plant space and functional system, and replenished groundcover plants in barren areas. We optimised the traffic flow in the park by adding 550 metres of water-friendly walkways, 3.1 kilometres of cycling paths and 3.3 kilometres of running tracks around the lake, as well as erecting bridges. In addition, a three-tier lighting system was established to ensure the safety and convenience of residents’ nighttime activities.

Symbiotic with nature

The design team focuses on protecting the trees and water system on the site, and is committed to integrating human activities into nature.

Underforest participation：

The original park lacked understory space. The design retained the original trees and supplemented them with groundcovers, while incorporating new features into the woods, such as the addition of trestles, mistletoe, and public amenities. Finally, permeable paving was used to maintain good drainage.

Water-friendly sharing：

Based on the original water resources, the design team expanded the space and possibilities for water-friendly activities by adding water-friendly walkways, trestles and platforms, as well as introducing water-friendly plants. A 370-metre-long water-friendly trestle was added to the Yuanxiang Lake area, using precast concrete pile foundations to reduce the impact on water quality while speeding up construction. The completion of the trestle has attracted more people to run and hit the trail. Improvements to the surrounding water-friendly roads and platforms have also prompted residents to take it upon themselves to engage in activities such as kayaking, fishing and water play.

Multiple places for outdoor activities

Fitness and family activities：

To meet the post-popular demand for health and outdoor exercise, we have created an outdoor fitness area, designed especially for young people. At the same time, two new child-friendly spaces themed on lakes and forests have been added, using environmentally friendly materials such as permeable flooring and ocean-recycled children’s play equipment to reinforce the connection with nature. Fitness activities such as outdoor table tennis and gateball are also provided for seniors.

Central activity area： The design team has crafted eight attractions in the lagoon area, aiming to provide a more diversified and high-quality activity space for the public. The incorporation of smart facilities, such as face recognition self-storage and running records, as well as infrared-sensitive spray and light changes, add convenience and fun to the park. In addition, interactive projections and light shows have become a major feature of the venue.

Project Details:-
Firm
Arcplus (Arcplus Shanghai Xiandai Architectural Decoration & Landscape Design Research Institute Co., Ltd. )

Architect
Jiayi Li

Project Name
Landscape Renewal of the Central Green Axis Park in Shanghai Jiading New Town

Project Category
Public Landscape Design Built

Team
Xiarong Qiu, Jie Zhou, Jian He, Wei Zhang, Weiwei Wang, Hao Shi, Chenyang Yu, Yun Yang, Na Zhou, Changsi Shao, Nengju Wang, Gaofeng Cheng, Bo Dong, Bing Wang, Jingfeng Qing

Project Location
Shanghai

Country
China

Photography ©Credit
WDl, Kejia Mei

Shanghai Modern Architectural Decoration Environment Design and Research Institute Co., Ltd. is a subsidiary of Arcplus Group PLC, established in 1999, is the first professional enterprise in Shanghai engaged in indoor and outdoor environmental design under the title of “environmental design”. The company has realized the full coverage of indoor and outdoor environment design and upstream and downstream business services of the industrial chain, and has become a leading enterprise in the public space and landscape design industry in East China and even the whole country.

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