LANDSCAPE

SITE PLANNING
Literature Case Study

Augustine Kurian
14|S5
1. Shanghai Houtan Park
2. Beijing Olympic Forest Park
3. Tangshan Nanhu Eco-city Central
Made in China!
Shanghai Houtan Park
Shanghai Houtan Park

Hou Tan Gong Yuan

Pudong Xinqu
China

Site Area: 34.3 acres

Humid subtropical
DESIGN

Built on a former industrial site, a brownfield. Park was created

for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo to demonstrate green
technologies to the influx of visitors and remain as a permanent
public waterfront park.
Brownfield

Real property of which the

expansion, redevelopment, or
reuse of which may be
complicated by the presence or
potential presence of a
hazardous substance, pollutant,
or contaminant.
 DESIGN

Houtan Park unfolds along the

Huangpu River through several
linear miles of natural and
constructed wetlands that clean
the polluted river water and
encourage native fauna to return.
DESIGN
The park was designed as a
regenerative living organism that
treats polluted river water,
mitigates urban flooding, and
increases habitat and biodiversity,
while celebrating the regional
culture and beautifying the
riverfront for public use.
DESIGN

Throughout the park, several

reclaimed structures reveal the
site’s industrial past, while terraces
planted with a variety of traditional
crops give reference to the
country’s agricultural heritage.
CHALLENGES
restore the degraded landscape to create a safe and
pleasant public space

1. The brownfield site had been used as a landfill and storage yard.
2. The water of the Huangpu River was highly polluted, considered
unsafe for swimming and recreation, and devoid of aquatic life.
3. A third challenge was flood control. The existing 22-ft high
concrete floodwall combined with daily tidal fluctuations created
an inaccessible, muddy, and littered shoreline, so an alternative
flood control design was necessary.
narrower the site, broader the problems

Another challenge was the shape of the linear waterfront site. Because
it is extremely narrow at many points, creating a complete wetland to
foster cleaning of the water would be difficult. The narrow points also
made access and pedestrian circulation challenging. The park design
would need to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of visitors
expected during the 6-month Expo, while creating a pleasant and
accessible human-scale public park for the long-term.
SOLUTIONS
living organisms adapt, change and protect
itself
Using the design concept of a living organism that has the ability to
adapt, change, and protect itself, Houtan Park was built as a
regenerative living system with a constructed wetland, cascades, and
terraces that oxygenate the river water and remove pollutants,
nutrients, and sediment.
wetlands: a natural wall and sheath
The wetland also acts as a flood protection buffer between 20-year and
1,000-year flood control levees. The existing concrete floodwall was
replaced with riprap, which protects the shoreline from erosion while
allowing for habitat creation along the water’s edge. A layered
approach was used to organize the space, with paths that circulate
pedestrians around the site, through the wetlands, and out to the river
where a series of docks provide access to the park via ferry water
routes. Houtan Park’s aesthetic qualities and ecological functions
ensure its continued success long after the Expo.
water purification mechanism of
man-made wetlands
wow! before and after….
An example of the terraced wetland interwoven with
boardwalks for pedestrian circulation and platforms that
provide views of the water
An industrial structures was reclaimed to create
hanging gardens above the teahouses in the center of
the park
site plan and birds’ eye view
SOCIO-ECONOMIC-ECOLOGICAL
FACTORS
SOCIAL

1. Provided recreation and educational opportunities to some

590,500 visitors during the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.
2. The park continues to provide these benefits to city residents and
visitors from around China and the world.
ECONOMICS

Budget: $15.7million
1. Saves $116,800/year in water costs at the adjacent Expo Park
where 264,000 gallons of water treated by Houtan Park’s
wetland purification system is used in the water features.
2. Reduced waste and saved an estimated $17,300 by reusing 37
tons of steel and roughly 34,000 post-industrial bricks found on
the site
ENVIRONMENTAL
1. Cleans up to 634,000 gallons of polluted river water daily, improving the
water’s quality from Grade V (unsuitable for human contact) to Grade II
(suitable for landscape irrigation) using only biological processes.
2. Increased the biodiversity of the site dramatically, with 93 species of
plants and over 200 species of animals observed.
3. Sequesters an estimated 242 tons of carbon annually in park’s extensive
wetlands, perennial plantings, and trees.
4. Successfully demonstrated state-of-the-art design and construction
techniques, resulting in 8 national design patents and 20-30 subsequent
ecological water purification projects that employ the techniques created
for Houtan Park.
Shanghai Houtan Park
Beijing Olympic Forest Park
Beijing Olympic Forest Park

Beijing
Tsinghua
Urban
Planning &
Design
Institute

Kehui Road,
Chaoyang
Beijing 100107

Site Area: 1680acres

Humid continental
Olympic Forest Park is located
on the northern end of the
historical central meridian of
Beijing. Green space accounts
for 77% of the park’s area and
includes more than 166,000
trees and 1,390,000 shrubs. The
layout of the park is intended to
be naturalistic.
DESIGN

Beijing Olympic Forest Park is the largest public green space ever
built in Beijing. Built as part of the Olympic Green for the 2008
Summer Games, the park is surrounded by an ultra-urban
environment of high-density development and high-volume traffic.
The park provides a variety of spaces for urban residents and visitors,
including Mount Yangshan, a 50-acre man-made lake, woodlands,
wetlands, grasslands, educational facilities, paths, playgrounds and
sports fields.
 DESIGN
The design incorporates traditional
Chinese landscape arts and principles
that emphasize the harmony between
humans and nature, while modern
ecological concepts and techniques
were widely employed in the park to
address goals of zero waste and zero
stormwater discharge.
DESIGN
Since completion, the park has
become an important public
green space that provides
recreation, educational
opportunities, and environmental
benefits to Beijing residents and
visitors alike.
CHALLENGES
1. Olympic Forest Park is located on the northern end of Beijing’s
north-south central meridian where the Forbidden City historic
palace complex is also situated. The Central Axis is divined by
Chinese emperors to demonstrate absolute power. Therefore, one
of the greatest design challenges for the park was to respect and
emphasize the central meridian using landscape forms and
elements.
Another major challenge was the urgency to complete the park from
design to construction in an extremely limited timeframe. A third
challenge was to create a space not just for the 2008 Olympics but also
for long-term sustainable public use.
SOLUTIONS
respecting traditions….

To honor the Central Axis, a water system was created in a shape that
symbolizes a dragon. This system also serves as the primary
stormwater management feature.
A 4-hectare (10-acre) constructed
wetland in the southern part of the park
treats 2,600 cubic meters (690,000
gallons) of reclaimed water per day and
recharges manmade Aohai Lake, which is
the “dragon head” of the park’s water
system. The wetland was designed to
have a meandering flow path, an
extended water retention time, and a
series of cascading landscapes. Within
the wetlands, habitat for various fauna
and flora was created.
To solve the complex project issues within a limited timeframe, the
design team was composed of local and overseas experts from
multidisciplinary backgrounds such as architecture, landscape
architecture, ecology, hydrology, municipal infrastructure, and
engineering.
To ensure the park’s long-term sustainability, innovative techniques
such as reclaimed water treatment, intelligent irrigation, recycling and
reuse of solid waste, and an elevated ecological corridor were
employed.
In order to maintain wildlife and
pedestrian connections, a
60-meter-wide (197 ft),
218-meter-long (715 ft) elevated
eco-corridor was designed and built
across the 80-meter-wide (262 ft)
highway that divides the park.
A 24-meter high swift tower was
built to provide a home for more
than 1,500 swifts, birds that have
lived in Beijing for hundreds of
years. In recent decades, the
population of swifts has declined as
many traditional tower structures
are demolished and new buildings
constructed.
Through the skylight
illumination, sunlight is
reflected, strengthened,
and redistributed to the
partially-buried building’s
interior, reducing
dependence on artificial
illumination and saving
electricity
The solar photovoltaic panel
demonstration system at the
south gate powers part of the
park and raises public
awareness about renewable
energy resources.
wow! before and after….
SOCIO-ECONOMIC-ECOLOGICAL
FACTORS
ENVIRONMENTAL
1. Sequesters an estimated 3,962 metric tons of CO2 annually in the trees
of the park, equivalent to taking 777 passenger vehicles off the road.
2. Reduces annual consumption of potable water by 950,000 cubic
meters, the equivalent of 380 Olympic-sized swimming pools, by using
reclaimed water from the Qinghe Waste Water Treatment Plant for
landscape irrigation and to recharge park water bodies.
3. Generates 83,000 kWh of electricity per year from solar photovoltaic
panels installed on top of the trellis structure at the park’s south gate.
This is enough to meet the energy needs of 227 China residents for a
year and reduce the use of coal by 30 metric tons, which in turn
reduces the emission of CO2, SO2, NOX, smoke, and dust.
SOCIAL

1. Significantly improves the quality of life for 96% of the 373

visitors surveyed. Most visitors who were interviewed
expressed that the Park is a very nice place to enjoy, providing
abundant recreation and exercise opportunities.
2. Provided an outdoor classroom for about 2,000 children from
elementary schools within 2 km of the Park in 2011.
ECONOMICS

1. Created 1,563 new jobs in the park, including landscaping, security,

and cleaning services.
2. Located in northern China, Beijing is relatively dry, and it is
necessary to regularly recharge the water body in the park. Using
reclaimed water instead of potable water saves an estimated
$448,000 annually.
3. The solar photovoltaic panels generate 83,000 KWh every year to
power part of the park, which saves about $6,400 annually in
electricity costs.
Beijing Olympic Forest Park
Tangshan Nanhu Eco-city Central Park
Tangshan Nanhu Eco-city Central Park

Beijing Tsinghua
Urban Planning &
Design Institute

Tangxu Road, Lunan

Tangshan, Hebei 063000

Site Area: 1,557 acres

Humid subtropical
DESIGN
Tangshan Nanhu Central Park is a mine reclamation
project, which is now the largest urban central park
in northeastern China. Located in the center of
Tangshan City, the former 1,557-acre wasteland is
now a dynamic public space, featuring recreational
facilities, conservation areas and more than 600,000
trees and shrubs.
 DESIGN
The former coal mining site was
heavily polluted and damaged
after a massive 1976
earthquake. Parts of the site
had collapsed and settled
unevenly, creating a patchwork
of unstable surfaces which
eventually grew to 28 sq km.
DESIGN
The site became a safety
hazard and was used
largely as a city landfill
and a sewage lagoon. In
2008, the reclamation
project began.
DESIGN
Using sustainable practices such
as material reuse, stormwater
management, and wildlife habitat
restoration, the project has
fundamentally improved the
environmental quality of Tangshan
City and created a major new
public recreational space,
accessible to more than 10,000
residents within a 15 minute walk.
CHALLENGES
restore the degraded landscape to create a safe and
pleasant public space

1. The site was an extremely large brownfield, full of contaminated

waste and sewage, as well as areas of geological subsidence.
2. Notably, the entire southern portion of the site lacked geotechnical
stability. One of the key design challenges was to address the
settling land and determine a way to use this part of the site in a
viable way which would complement the rest of the park.
SOLUTIONS
The design responded to the site’s varying environmental
conditions by proposing very different uses and aesthetic
characters north and south of the main dividing road.
1. North of Tangxu Road, the park is geologically stable and thus
designed for active recreational uses, with features including
gardens, the reclaimed rubbish hill, plazas and trails.
2. The area south of Tangxu Road is designed to be a natural reserve,
retaining its natural vegetation and landform with few interventions.
This part of the park includes cedar grasslands, wetlands and
other landscapes native to the region. The settling land and
shorelines within this area were stabilized primarily with materials
found onsite, such as rocks and wood posts made from dead trees.
Reclaimed hill

450 metric tons of rubbish in Nanhu area were reclaimed

and used to create a 50-meter high hill, offering 130,000
square meters of green space. The hill was sealed, covered
by soil and planted with trees. It provides scenic views, and
various recreational opportunities, such as walking, hiking
and picnicking. A waste gas collection system in the rubbish
hill collects and burns the gas generated by the rubbish,
preventing it from being emitted into atmosphere.
Stabilizing the banks

1. Islands in the center of each

lake are constructed with
reclaimed coal ash, as is the
scenic peninsula on the
north side of the southern
lake.
2. An embankment made of
gabions and the bundled
trunks and branches of
133,820 dead trees
stabilizes the lakeshore.
Boat docks and extensive boardwalks along the lakeshores bring
people to the water.
wow! before and after….
SOCIO-ECONOMIC-ECOLOGICAL
FACTORS
SOCIAL

1. Provides park access for the 10,000 nearby residents within a 15

minute walking distance.
2. The park continues to provide these benefits to city residents and
visitors from around China and the world.
3. Largest urban central park in northwestern China.
ECONOMICS

Budget: $68 million

1. Saved $47.2 million in material costs by reusing 6 million cubic
meters of coal ash to produce foundations and bricks used in park
construction.
2. Saved $369,000 in construction costs by recycling 133,820 trunks
of dead trees to form an embankment structure to prevent erosion
along the lakeshore.
3. Generates $157,300 in annual revenue from recreational and facility
rental fees.
ENVIRONMENTAL
1. Sequesters an estimated 2,800 metric tons (6.2 million lbs) of CO2
annually in the trees of the park, equivalent to removing 550 passenger
vehicles from the road each year.
2. Provides habitats for 6 fish, 4 reptile, 3 amphibian, 2 mammal, and 81
bird species observed on the site. Of these, 7 are nationally-protected
wildlife species.
3. Reduces potable water consumption by 29,200,000 cubic meters
annually, equivalent to 11,680 Olympic-sized swimming pools, by
importing reclaimed water from a nearby sewage treatment plant. The
reclaimed water is further treated in a series of constructed wetlands
and used for water body recharge and irrigation in the park, saving
about $15.4 million per year
Tangshan Nanhu Eco-city Central Park
Thank You!