Magma Flow Public Space

Magma Flow Public Space
© Rex Zou

Magma Flow Public Space 

100 Architects

ARCHITECTS
100 Architects

AREA
1350 m²

YEAR
2022

PHOTOGRAPHS
Rex Zou

CLIENT
Vanke China Co., Ltd. (Ningbo Division)

DESIGN TEAM
Marcial Jesús, Javier González, Mónica Páez, Lara Broglio, Ponyo Zhao, Keith Gong, Cosima Jiang, Hayley Huang, Michelle Aldora, Jango Zhang, Yuntong Liu.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Jenny Fan, Nicholas Lv, Eva Jiang.

LOCATION
Ningbo, China

CATEGORY
Public Space

Magma Flow Public Space
© Rex Zou
Magma Flow Public Space
© Rex Zou

Magma Flow is a stimulating urban activation of a pedestrian street from a newly built commercial and residential area in the port city of Ningbo, the second-most populous city in Zhejiang Province, China.

Magma Flow Public Space
© Rex Zou
Magma Flow Public Space
© Rex Zou

One of the most characteristic features of this place is the presence of grand stairs that serve as pedestrian access to the open second floor of the commercial street.

In order to activate this pedestrian junction and turn it into an eventful and eye-catching public space, colonizing the stairs extending and detaching the proposal from the horizontal plane of the floor was early identified as a key action to gain visibility, and from which the rest of the proposal could be articulated.

Magma Flow Public Space
© Rex Zou
Magma Flow Public Space
© Rex Zou

Thus, what before were just simple stairs to access the second floor, is now a volcano of public activity by inserting several amphitheaters at different levels, providing the stairs with platforms for hanging out and resting; shading structures mimicking the violent eruptive process, while providing shadow to the new resting areas; and even some slides resembling the erupted lava going down the hill.

To continue with the narrative on the rest of the space, a huge stain of erupted magma razes the ground level with color and playful functions for kids and adults alike, generating a very eye-catching multifunctional plaza right at the pedestrian junction.

Magma Flow Public Space
© Rex Zou
Magma Flow Public Space
© Rex Zou

The flow of magma creates an intense & vivid circuit of events and spaces arising by its side.

Among the functions that we can find on the magma plaza, there are several seatings and resting areas located under shadowing canopies, as well as mahjong & tic-tac-toe tables and a lounge area for adults.

Magma Flow Public Space
© Rex Zou
Magma Flow Public Space
© Rex Zou

For the joy & entertainment of kids, we equipped the space with a swing pergola, seesaws, slides, hills and bumps, tunnels, punching bags & challenging obstacles along the circuit.

Altogether, the proposal creates an incandescent public space that acts as an urban attractor and entertainment hotspot within the new commercial and residential development.

Magma Flow Public Space
© Rex Zou
Magma Flow Public Space
© Rex Zou
Magma Flow Public Space
© Rex Zou


Magma Flow Public Space
© Rex Zou
Magma Flow Public Space
© Rex Zou
Magma Flow Public Space
© Rex Zou
Magma Flow Public Space
© Rex Zou
Magma Flow Public Space
© Rex Zou
Magma Flow Public Space
© Rex Zou
Magma Flow Public Space
© Rex Zou
Magma Flow Public Space
© Rex Zou
Magma Flow Public Space
© Rex Zou
Magma Flow Public Space
© Rex Zou


Magma Flow Public Space