Context

Located in Liwan District, Guangzhou, the Dachongkou Creek Landscape Project lies within a historic Lingnan urban fabric. With China’s first Taikoo commercial district planned along both sides of the creek, the project redefines the waterfront as an open public landscape, positioning it as a critical interface between heritage preservation and future urban development.

Site Condition

The 15,000 m² site extends approximately 360 meters through Fangcun’s old town, adjacent to Julong Ancient Village. It contains a rich collection of industrial and cultural heritage, including the former Xietonghe Machine Factory—where China’s first diesel engine was produced—historic warehouses from the late Qing Dynasty, early PRC infrastructure, and the Yuling Bridge.

Mature banyan trees, aged between 70 and 180 years, form a dense ecological canopy, shaping a culturally layered and ecologically sensitive waterfront environment that is both historically significant and environmentally fragile.

Key Challenges

The project faced multiple challenges: resolving complex level differences between the creek, adjacent roads, and future commercial streets; reopening the waterfront as an accessible public realm; accommodating increased pedestrian flow while encouraging social interaction; preserving historic identity under the pressure of large-scale commercial development; minimizing disturbance to fragile ecological systems, particularly the extensive root zones of ancient banyan trees.

Design Innovation: Heritage as Generative System

The project introduces a heritage-driven design methodology, using the Yuling Bridge as both conceptual origin and generative system. By deconstructing and reinterpreting its structural and aesthetic language, the design establishes a coherent design grammar across paving, edges, and site details. This approach transforms the historic artifact from an isolated relic into an active design framework, allowing it to “grow” into the contemporary landscape and redefine the spatial identity of the creek corridor.

Simultaneously, the design reinterprets traditional Lingnan riverfront typologies—particularly “bu-kou” (wharf) spaces—as performative public interfaces. These elements resolve level differences while embedding collective spatial memory, creating a sequence of terraces, gathering platforms, and transitional thresholds that support everyday social life. Historic buildings along the creek are integrated through spatial framing and interpretive systems, forming a continuous cultural narrative rather than a collection of static relics.

Ecological Strategy: Minimal Intervention, Maximum Continuity

Ecological sensitivity underpins both design and construction. The project adopts a low-impact, on-site regeneration strategy, minimizing ground disturbance to protect ancient banyan root systems. A soil approach combining preservation, targeted remediation, and organic enhancement replaces conventional large-scale excavation, safeguarding microbial ecosystems and long-term soil health. Over 90% of plant species are native, significantly increasing biodiversity while reinforcing regional ecological resilience and identity.

Social Impact and Performance

The project reclaims the waterfront as an inclusive and vibrant civic space. Shaded areas beneath preserved banyan trees are transformed into comfortable micro-environments that support gathering, rest, and informal social interaction. By reopening the creek edge and improving accessibility, the design strengthens connections between the historic neighborhood, the new commercial district, and everyday urban life. The project has been awarded Platinum certification under the Sustainable SITES Initiative (SITES), demonstrating measurable excellence in environmental performance and sustainable landscape practices.

Project Credits

Landscape Architect: Guangzhou S.P.I Design Co., Ltd., SASAKI, PLA
Design Team: Hu Sun, Songmin Liu, Kenan Xin, Jingwen Chen, Weiqing Wang, Yurong Jiang, Feixu Wu, Xiuwen Xiong, Long Kuang, Xiaodong Liang, Qingmin Li, Shuaishuai Lv, Shubin Ye, Haobo Xu, Jie Wang
Client: Guangzhou Pearl River Industrial Park Investment & Development Co., Ltd., Guangzhou Jushi Investment & Development Co., Ltd.

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