Zhangjiang Northwest Area – Art Park
Zhangjiang Northwest Area – Art Park
West 8
DESIGN TEAM
Christian Dobrick, Yichun He, Laura Font Gallart, Yuxin He, Emanuele Paladin, Fernando Diez, Xiaojun Liu, Francesca Pelizzaro, Ela Chojecka
LOCATION
Shanghai, China
PHOTOGRAPHS
Zilu Wang
CATEGORY
Park
CLIENT
Zhangjiang Hi-tech Park Development Company
COLLABORATOR
Tongji Architectual Design Group Co. Ltd.
Text description provided by architect.
Zhangjiang Art Park is located in the core of the northwest area of Zhangjiang Science City in Pudong, Shanghai. Originally two, adjacent parks divided by the Chunxiao Road in the middle, the north and south parks which were built in different eras and with different landscape styles.
As part of the West 8’s Northwest District Urban Upgrade Project of the Zhangjiang Science City, the integration and upgrading of Zhangjiang Art Park will be the first step in the renewal of the northwest area. In terms of urban planning, as the western starting point of the central located strip-shaped public space in the northwest area - the "Green frame" park - Zhangjiang Art Park will promote the diversification of the entire northwest area and the development of community commerce and culture.
West 8 led the overall planning and landscape design of Zhangjiang Art Park and cooperated with local consultant teams including the landscape department of the Tongji Architectual Design (Group) Co., Ltd. for the developed design and construction supervision.
The foundation of landscape transformation of the two parks arrived from a comprehensive analysis and positioning from an urban design perspective. The first step was to define the interface between the park and the city, the relationship between the park and the two main roads: Bibo Road on the West and Zuchong Road on the south. In the past, due to the fences and shrubs between the park and Bibo Road, this introverted park could neither accumulate visitors through the urban streets, nor provide a pleasant landscape experience for the surrounded urban blocks.
Under the urban reconnecting principle of the green framed park, a brand new waterfront boulevard is extended along the park edge of Bibo Road. On the widened pedestrian walkway, the three-color overlapped paving pattern emphasizes the importance of this location as the core “show- off space” as the charm of urban life. At the same time, it also acts as the landscape ridgeline between the soft and green park on the inner side. The clear lake and lush flowers and trees slowly spread out along the east side of this main traffic axis.The diverging park paths and the pedestrian bridges across the water give the urban crowd on the boulevard the flexibility to enter or leave the park at any time. The waterfront boulevard is like a zipper, stitching the previously separated parks and urban blocks together. This project is proof that integrating Landscape and urban development drive, coexist and prosper each other, together.
On the south side of the park, the Zuchongzi Road with its heavy traffic and Zhangjiang High-tech Metro Station are facing the axis of Zhang Contemporary Art Museum. The entrance plaza, covered by the cherry tree canopy, faces the turbulent traffic to declare the main entrance of the park and strengthen the axis towards the Art Museum. The lush canopy filters out the noise of the Zuchongzi Road and brings people into the green environment of the park step by step. The transformation of the museum axis respects the original layout. The large trees that have grown over the years are kept. At the same time, the space under the trees are cleaned and unified with a coherent design language. The space in this area, which has been gradually scattered over the years, is now reorganized into a clear and linear space, a three-layer axis of "museum - green trail - waterfront walkway".
The original paths in the park have been reorganized and adjusted. The existing foundation that can be reused is recycled as much as possible; whereas the park paths which hinder the overall accessibility of the future park is decisively removed. The selection of hard landscape materials are a comfortable and low-key gray color: The main pathways uses gray asphalt which is suitable for jogging, the secondary pathways use traditional and stable blue-gray bricks.
30 cm wide granite curbstones, wider than the general park path, and small cobble stones are holding the path in place on both sides. Besides visually delicate and stable, it is easier to transfer to and easier to maintain the soft green on both sides. As the extension of the drainage slope of the path surface, the cross-section of the curbstone is a gentle curve, akin to a pillow, as a cushioned edge to the soft terrain. "The soft hardscape" - the gentle and soft look and feel bring an unexpected closeness to the sharp and hard granite and brick landscape.
The artworks, previously densely placed in the park on the south side, are now the hidden treasures of the combined park. During this renovation, the artworks were rearranged, repositioned and relocated in both north and south parks of the park. Against the backdrop of the newly designed terrain, water features and vegetation communities, these artworks with their own independent stages turn to be the most representative focus points in the park an provide a unified theming to the combined parks.
