Xiangmi Park is a historic place for Shenzhen’s standards. This site was originally used as agricultural research center, but had fallen into decline since Shenzhen’s central Futian district grew quickly around it.
Studio Name: MLA+
Design Team:
MLA+: Markus Appenzeller, Pinar Bozoglan, Li Qian, Martin Probst, Brechtje Spreeuwers, Magdalena Szczypka, Roland Winkler
IBR Shenzhen Institute of Building Research Co Ltd. (Planning Consultant)
ZEN Landscape Design Co Ltd. (Detailed Landscape Design)
Program: 45 ha Masterplan for the regeneration of a park, Architectural design of 4 buildings – visitor center, library, wedding hall and recycling plant
Year: 2014 Concept, Design Development
2015 – 2017 Under construction
2017 Opened
Location: Futian District, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, PRC
Photography Credits: Vlad Feoktistov, Lard Buurman
This offered the potential to regenerate the area into a city park for the local community while fulfilling an educational function towards a stronger nature orientation and a more healthy lifestyle.
The initial overall planning stage proposed to keep much of the existing layout but to enrich it with more possibilities to experience nature. New landscapes are added that serve as both, recreational open space and educational field. The competition winning entry was translated into the brief for the detailed design stages.
The buildings in the park engage with the nature around them in many different ways. Rather than being an intrusion, they are devices that reveal some of the qualities of the local natural environment.
In doing so, they stand in the tradition of classical Chinese garden architecture and at the same time, they are activators in a contemporary and accessible open park.
MLA+
MLA+ works on urban planning, landscape design, architecture and consultancy projects globally, with more than 30 years of experience and a total staff of 200+ employees in Rotterdam, London, Berlin, Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Shanghai and Shenzhen.
