Zigong Dongxingsi Waterfront
Location Sichuan, China | Client Zigong City Construction Investment and Development | Photographer Terrence Zhang | Size 50,000 square meters | Status Completed 2019 | Tags Parks and Civic Spaces, Public Realm and Infrastructure, Climate Change
Our new landscape design reconnects the city to the waterfront, with multiple new amenity spaces and a strong visual identity inspired by Zigong’s history and culture.
Located beside Zigong’s sadly polluted Fuxi river, the steep hillsides of Sichuan between Chongqing and Chengdu hosted derelict housing on top of a steep unusable embankment along the river, and a road separating the city from the water. It also suffered from recurring flooding.
We created a new landscape to enliven the waterfront. It connects the city to the river with new amenity space and a strong identity.
Now a sponge park in the adjacent residential development absorbs, filters and attenuates stormwater run-off to mitigate flooding from sub-tropical monsoon rains. A small section is devoted to an inspiring demonstration of advanced but simple exemplar biological cleansing technologies. The water feeds delightful waterfalls along the promenade that surprise and delight as well as providing ecological education.
A terraced promenade offers accessible pedestrian connections to pocket parks and plazas even when lower levels are flooded, while a timber deck near the water allows interaction during the lantern festival.
The landscape concept draws inspiration from the dragon, China’s spiritual symbol, feted in the local dragon boat races, and the curvilinear design motif echoes the meandering river’s water eddies.
Striking ‘dinosaur rib’ sculptural elements, repeated along the promenade, double as retaining structures for the terraces. They celebrate the vast numbers of dinosaurs, dating from the Middle Jurassic era, which were found in the region in the 1980s.
Zigong is now a world-class destination.
The landscape concept draws inspiration from the meandering nature and complex patterns of Fuxi River, and the dragon which not only serves as a spiritual symbol to China but alludes to the Dragon Boat Race, one of the major events of this area. This translates into a fluid landscape concept that correlates with the topography of the site, creating a dynamic nature of landscape corridors which flow through the site and provides unique moments, spaces and elements, incorporating functions and spaces to respond to the festivities, neighborhood amenity and a site that embraces its cultural heritage.
The water edge promenade provides a series of accessible terraces to address the local flooding occurrences, allowing access to the upper levels when lower level flooding occurs. The first level timber deck located in close proximity to the water allows interaction with the water’s edge, including the lantern festival activities. Narrower paths expand to pocket parks and plazas where people can gather and engage with festivities, or contract to smaller rooms for private gatherings. The highest level of the promenade announces destination points where the road terminates at the waterfront junction; all levels are connected with a series of steps and ramps for easy access.
The residential development adjacent to the waterfront park includes a sponge park that absorbs, filters and attenuates storm water run-off to address the recurring flooding concerns of sub-tropical monsoons. This water feeds the waterfalls along the promenade to create surprising moments that are revealed along one’s journey along the promenade and promotes ecological education.
The outcome is a beautiful waterfront with a diverse range of attractive uses to engage residents and visitors. It connects the river and the city, and joyfully celebrates Zigong’s cultural heritage.
