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Designers: THUPDI and Tsinghua University | City: Shanghai, CN | Project Type: quarry, renovation, boardwalk Date Visited: 2.23.13
Location: Chenshan Botanical Garden, Songjiang District, Shanghai
Size: 4.26 hectares (10.53 acres)
Completion Date: April 2010
Were it not for its honor award in the 2012 ASLA General Design Awards, I might not have ever heard of the Quarry Garden, much less been willing to make the trip out to visit its rather remote location in Songjiang District–it took me over two hours on public transportation to get there from Pudong–but I’m so glad that I did. The Quarry Garden, as well as the surrounding sights in Chenshan Botanical Garden, are highlights in my trip to Shanghai.
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Apr 24, 2013 | Categories: Brownfields, China, Landscape History, Latest Posts, Size: 10 - 20 acres | Tags: boardwalk, botanical garden, brownfield, China, quarry, renovation, Shanghai | Leave A Comment »
Designer: SWA Group | City: Shanghai, CN | Project Type: pedestrian promenade Date Visited: 3.3.13
Location: Shanghai
Size: 4.6 hectares (3 city blocks)
Completion Date: 2009
Gubei Gold Street is a breath of fresh air from the snarl of city traffic. A pedestrian mall carved out from three city blocks and flanked by 20-story high rise residential towers, Gubei Gold Street serves as the centerpiece to the SWA Group-designed mixed-use residential project.
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Mar 27, 2013 | Categories: China, Latest Posts, Size: 10 - 20 acres, Streetscape | Tags: mixed-use, pedestrian promenade, Shanghai, SWA Group | Leave A Comment »
City: Suzhou, CN | Project Type: garden Date Visited: 2.25.13
Location: 3号 Canglangting St, Canglang, Suzhou
Size: 10,656 sq. m
One of the oldest gardens in Suzhou, the Surging Wave Pavilion was built during the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) for the poet Su Shunqing.
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Mar 26, 2013 | Categories: China, Gardens, Latest Posts, Size: 1 - 3 acres | Tags: Chinese garden, Suzhou | Leave A Comment »
City: Suzhou, CN | Project Type: garden Date Visited: 2.25.13
Location: 带城桥路 Canglang, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
Size: 5,400 sq. m
Though the smallest of all classical residential gardens in Suzhou, the Master of the Nets Garden is considered one of the finest gardens in Suzhou.
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Mar 26, 2013 | Categories: China, Gardens, Latest Posts, Size: 10 - 20 acres | Tags: Chinese garden, Suzhou | Leave A Comment »
City: Suzhou, CN | Project Type: garden Date Visited: 2.25.13
Location: 23号 Yuanlin Road, Pingjiang, Suzhou
Size: 10,000 sq. m
Unlike its more famous and larger neighbor The Humble Administrator’s Garden, the Lion Grove Garden is much smaller and scale with and prominently features a labyrinthine rockery made of Taihu lake limestone–representative of gardens of the Yuan Dynasty.
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Mar 26, 2013 | Categories: China, Gardens, Latest Posts, Size: 1 - 3 acres | Tags: Chinese garden, Suzhou | Leave A Comment »
City: Suzhou, CN | Project Type: garden Date Visited: 2.25.13
Location: 178号 Dongbei St, Pingjiang, Suzhou
Size: 51,950 sq. m
The Humble Administrator’s Garden is the largest garden in Suzhou. Originally built in the Ming Dynasty around 1509 AD, the garden is divided into eastern, western, and central sections. The central section is the most visited, with 1/3 of its area covered by a giant man-made lake.
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Mar 26, 2013 | Categories: China, Gardens, Latest Posts, Size: 10 - 20 acres | Tags: Chinese garden, Suzhou | Leave A Comment »
Urban Population: 5,349,000 | City Area: 2,743 km2 (1,059 sq mi) | Population Density: 2,000/km2 (5,100/sq mi) Dates Visited: 2.24.13 – 2.25.13
Departure City: Shanghai
A mere 45 minute ride on the high speed bullet train from Shanghai, Suzhou is one of the top tourist destinations in Shanghai and prized for its traditional waterside architecture–Suzhou is called the Venice of the East–, canals, stone bridges, as well as the Classical Gardens of Suzhou, which have been added to the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
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Mar 24, 2013 | Categories: China, Cities, Latest Posts | Tags: Suzhou | Leave A Comment »
Designers: Turenscape | City: Shanghai, CN | Project Type: waterfront, brownfield, wetlands Date Visited: 2.15.13
Location: 后滩 世博达到浦东新区上海
Size: 34.5 Acres
Budget: $15.7 million
Completion Date: 2010
Winner of the ASLA Award of Excellence for General Design in 2010, Turenscape’s Houtan Park (后滩公园) ranked near the top for places I wanted to visit on my trip to Shanghai. Though I arrived in the winter season and the color palette of the park was quite dull and drab, Houtan Park did not fail to impress.
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Mar 24, 2013 | Categories: Architecture, Brownfields, China, Landscape History, Latest Posts, Size: 20 - 50 acres, Waterfront Redevelopment, Wetland Creation/Restoration | Tags: brownfield, Shanghai, waterfront, wetlands | Leave A Comment »
City: Shanghai, CN | Project Type: classical Chinese garden Date Visited: 2.13.13
Location: 189号 Huashan Rd, Jing’an, Shanghai, China
Size: 33,600 sq. meters (361,667 sq. ft)
Founded: 1954
Located in one of the densest and most centrally located areas in Shanghai, Jing’an Park is a green urban oasis within the Jing’an District, a major tourist and business center named after the Jing’an Temple, an ancient traditional Chinese Buddhist temple.
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Mar 22, 2013 | Categories: China, Community, Landscape History, Latest Posts, SIze: 3 - 9 acres, Urban Park | Tags: Chinese garden, rockeries, Shanghai | Leave A Comment »
City: Shanghai, CN | Project Type: waterfront Date Visited: 2.19.13
Location: The Bund, Shanghai
Size: 4.8 kilometers from Suzhou Creek to the 2010 Expo site in Puxi (2.6 square kilometers)
Projected Completion Date: 2020
One of the most historically significant and sought-after tourist destinations in Shanghai, The Bund marks a great crossroads between the east and west, architecture, trade, ecology, history, and place-making.
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Mar 22, 2013 | Categories: Architecture, China, Landscape History, Latest Posts, Size: > 500 acres, Waterfront Redevelopment | Tags: China, Shanghai, waterfront | Leave A Comment »
City Population: 23,019,148 | City Area: 2,448.1 sq mi (6,340.5 km2) | Population Density: 9,400/sq mi (3,600/km2) | Elevation: 13 ft (4 m) Dates Visited: 1.27.13 – 3.07.13
Departure City: New Orleans, LA
One of the fastest developing cities in the world, Shanghai has enjoyed a long history as one of the largest and most prosperous cities in the Far East. With a diverse population of over 23 million (as of 2010), this major financial center was founded and thrives on the confluence of the east and the west. From classic Parisian buildings in Xintiandi (新天地) to the winding Chinese gardens at Jing’an (静安区), the Shanghai landscape reflects the longstanding influences of international trade.
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Mar 22, 2013 | Categories: Cities, Latest Posts | Tags: China, Shanghai | Leave A Comment »
Designers: Philip Johnson (architect) | City: Houston, TX | Project Type: fountain Date Visited: 1.24.13
Location: 2800 S. Post Oak Blvd. Houston, TX
Size: 2.77 acre
Official Opening Date: 1985
One of Houston’s most visited urban parks, the Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park inspires feelings of awe and peace with its loud and powerful waterfalls, cascading water down from a towering height of 64-feet. Designed by Pulitzer Prize winning architect Philip Johnson, this large semi-circular fountain is located south across a wide green lawn flanked by 186 live oaks, facing the Williams Tower, a 64-story reflective office building. This 2.77-acre park marks the community centerpiece of Uptown Houston, the nation`s largest business district outside of a historic core.
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Feb 01, 2013 | Categories: Architecture, Latest Posts, Size: 1 - 3 acres, Southern U.S., Water Feature/Fountains | Tags: Gerald D. Hines, Houston, Philip Johnson | 3 Comments »
