Building Blue and Green Spaces

An increasing number of cities in Asia are engaging in efforts to develop and integrate water networks and Green infrastructure as urban planning strategies that also provide for public spaces. This can be achieved through the protection of natural habitats within urban landscapes, while providing adaptive measures that are responsive to the climate. As such, design strategies used to develop Green and blue spaces can help generate environmental, socio-cultural and economic benefits for the surrounding areas and the community. Here are three projects that illustrate how these concepts have been implemented.

YANWEIZHOU PARK

Yanweizhou is a natural riparian wetland located where the Wuyi River and the Yiwu River converge to form the Jinhua River in the urban heart of Jinhua, a city with a population of over 1 million. Before the Yanweizhou Park project was implemented, the three rivers, each of which is over 100 metres wide, divided the densely populated communities in the region. As a result of this inaccessibility, cultural facilities, including an opera house, and the green spaces adjacent to Yanweizhou were underutilised. The remaining 50-acre (20-hectare) riparian wetland was fragmented or destroyed by sand quarries.

FORGING A RESILIENT LANDSCAPE THROUGH ADAPTIVE DESIGN STRATEGIES

Adaptive design strategies were employed to resolve problems posed by site conditions and to achieve a resilient landscape. The river currents, the flow of people, and the gravity of objects are all woven together to form a dynamic concord. This is achieved through the meandering vegetated terraces, curvilinear paths, a serpentine bridge, circular bioswales and planting beds, and curved benches.

WATERFRONT PARK OF AIYI RIVER, YINCHUAN

Situated in the northeast part of Jinfeng District in Yinchuan city, the Aiyi River Waterfront Park is adjacent to the new area of the city. The previous waterfront was poorly planned and failed to solve any environmental problems. It was treated simply as a support facility with no diverse or special experience offered.

DESIGN CONCEPT

As a solution, the proposed design concept focused on three objectives: integrating the city’s local features and character into the design; putting an emphasis on ecology and a Green approach by stressing low carbon consumption; and providing and caring for human needs. The concept aims to produce a wonderland-like experience by featuring green mountains and clear rivers.

THE ARC AT BANDAR RIMBAYU

The intrinsic human act of placemaking was the basic principle behind the design conceptualisation of The Arc, located in Bandar Rimbayu, Selangor, Malaysia. It is a public space that not only serves basic communal functions and provides shelter for collective social activities, but also establishes an identity for the community and township. Simultaneously, it responds to the environment, particularly in addressing the sunlight, heat, humidity and rain of the tropical climate.

DESIGN AND INTENT

Each end of the concrete arc-shaped structure is lowered to provide pedestrian access via ramps leading to the green roof deck, which serves as an upper-level pedestrian network of garden paths connecting the whole collection of buildings at two separate levels. Vertical landscaped walls also form part of the building façades.

PROJECT DATA

Project Name	Yanweizhou Park
Location	Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province, China
Completion Date	May 2014
Site Area	26 hectares
Client/Owner	Jinhua Municipal Government
Architecture Firm	Turenscape
Design Team	Kongjian Yu (design principal); Hongqian Yu; Yu Song; Yuan Fang; Shuiming Zhou; Hui Tong; ShengHui Li; Chujie Lin; Dengfeng Chen
Main Contractors	Jinhua Garden and Landscape Constcution co. Ltd.
Contractor	Zhengjiang Longsheng Construction Co. Ltd
Electrical Engineer	Shanghai Shenguan Construction Co. Ltd
Civil &Structural Engineer	ShenZhen Xilun Civil Engineering
Images/Photos	Kongjian Yu; Turensscpe

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Project Name	Waterfront Park of Aiyi River, Yichuan
Location	Yichuan, China
Completion Date	2014
Site Area	192,000 square meters
Gross Floor Area	212,000 square meters
Client/Owner	Yichuan Water Affairs Burreau
Architecture Firm	BLVD International
Principle Architects	Yuun DU; Kesheng Liu
Images/Photos	Fang Jian; BLVD International

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Project Name	The Arc at Bandar Rimbayu
Location	Bandar Rimbayu, Malaysia
Completion Date	2014
Site Area	10.7 acres
Gross Floor Area	12,000 square meters
Client/Owner	Bandar Rimbayu Sdn Bhd; IJM Land Berhad
Architecture Firm	Garis Architects Sdn Bhd
Principle Architects	tang Hsiao Seak; Ngu Bgle Woon
Landscape Architects	Pentago
Main Constructor	Jentrikon Perunding Sdn Bhd
Images/Photos	Steven Ngu; Andy Lim; Garis Architects Sdn Bhd