Pocket park on Xinhua Road
iCity   Dec 30.2020

Introduction

The project locates on Xinhua Road in Changning District, Shanghai. As there are tall, thick Chinese parasols and historic houses shaded by the trees on both sides, The road is praised as “the No.1 Garden Road in Shanghai”. The site is a 22-metre-long alleyway between two buildings. The widest part of the site is less than 4.2m. In the past, an illegal building – a noodle restaurant was seated on the site. The site turned to be an unoccupied space after the noodle restaurant was demolished. Therefore, our client, Xinghua Subdistrict Administration Office, hopes that the space could be transformed into a pocket park, which serves the neighbouring residents.

Reason to Be Selected

Through the power of space, people could release from the busy city life to a quiet natural garden, where people can take a walk, sit at leisure, enjoy the exhibition, and admire the beauty of flowers.

Highlights:

In terms of urban governance and safety, the space is far away from the main roads and comparatively closed. We hope to function the reflection of these mirrors as a warning, in case of the alleyway becoming an urban crime space.

Details

The mirror-finished stainless-steel system was equipped on the side walls of the alleyway, which was the core move of the design. The garden would be reflected by the side mirrors infinitely. When pedestrians pass the alleyway, the space turns into an infinite natural garden. It is a rare experience in such a metropolitan city.
The one side of the mirrors are rotatable. Removable exhibition boards are at the back of the mirrors. the space can transform into a street gallery with the rotation of the mirrors. Visitors can experience infinite exhibition room online after scanning the QR codes on exhibition boards with their phones.
The plants have three different heights – under 40cm, 40-80cm, and over 80cm. The combination of floras enriches visual hierarchy and interactions between human bodies. When walking in the garden, visitors may have a strong feeling of immersing in an endless sea of flowers, as the knee-high plants would bring people the sense of closeness.

Conclusions

The natural garden shows different scenes due to the seasonal cycle.  The mirrors are screens alike, recording the interactions between different participants and this space.The space is an infinite natural garden. It could also transform into a street gallery for continuous exhibitions.

 



Lat: 30.4
Lng: 120.52
Type:
Region: Asia
Scale: District
Field: Landscape
City: Shanghai