Xiangmi Park Science Library designed By MLA+, Xiangmi Park is a historic place for Shenzhen standards. Originally used as an agricultural research center it was quickly swallowed by the extension of the city since the 1980s. During 35 years protected from rapid urban growth, the existence of the research facility also preserved a large lychee orchard on a hill, fish ponds, a flower market, many large trees and a palm tree avenue. Located in Shenzhen?s central Futian District, it was an undiscovered treasure box in the middle of a metropolis.
Photography: Vlad Feoktistov
This green treasure in the middle of the city had the potential to become a city park for the local community. Urban residents can reconnect to local climate, local flora, and local fauna. It encourages a positive new lifestyle: local, healthy, and aware of the connection and the responsibility of our urban lives for the environment. The master plan proposed keeps much of the existing assets but enriches it with more possibilities to experience nature. New landscapes are added that serves as both, a recreational open space, a contribution to climate change mitigation, and an educational field. Photography: Vlad Feoktistov
The buildings in the park seek to engage with the nature surrounding 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 arch...