Project description:
Dong Feng Park is located in city center of Yuxi, Yunan Province of China. It had a history of more than 20 years as one of the biggest open and green space in the city where local citizens meet actively, but without an attraction for new generation and values for multi-functions. WADI studio was asked to redevelop this park in 2016 and the task scope includes upgrading of urban open space, sustainable stormwater management (sponge city) and bringing multi-benefits to the local community. Stormwater management is very essential for client because this project has been listed as one of the national pilot projects with an objective that 92 % of annual runoff volume should be retained, cleansed and reused on site, not to be released directly to public sewer as the conventional end-of-pipe solution did in most China cities resulting in more and more flooding damages in recent years.
WADI studio proposed three strategies in order to reform the old park into a new urban infrastructural amenity.
01 Low impact redevelopment:
Most hard area before redevelopment in this park was impervious, resulting in a large amount of runoff discharge in storm event. The levels of existing green area are higher than surrounding, thus the runoff cannot be collected into green area at first step. Supported by runoff analysis and computational simulation for storm water system, design team has proposed bio-retention swales of 791 sqm., vetetated swales of 165 sqm, rain gardens of 462 sqm., a retention pond of 180 sqm., and a underground stormwater cistern of 300 cbm.. A totally 1076 sqm. of hard area has been transformed into porous concrete pavements or bricks which allow the infiltrations happen. More than 90% of runoff is managed on site. TSS concentration has been reduced by 45%. 12% of rainfall precipitation can be reused for irrigation and water features. The stormwater measures have be used as multi-functional space, bringing visitors to experience a rain adjustable landscape. In order to reduce the impact on existing resources on site, design team has kept most of shrubs and trees, and reused the old paving stones to be weirs or other element in stormwater measures.
02 Ecological aesthetics
The new park is not designed according to “picturesqueness” or “form”. A new ecological aesthetics become the principle for creating space. Rather than to be “seen”, the existing green is opened by introducing new walking paths, inviting people to experience the water-planting-soil habitats after a decentralized system of raingardens or swales realized. The new green becomes a part of water process and metabolism of the city. People perceive daily dynamics of nature and unity of life and materials.
03 Back to people
The redevelopment rebuilds the relation between local citizens and their park. There are more space for fitness, play, cultural performance, meditation in the sun and other outdoor lives. It has become an attractive magnetite for all ages. The abandoned fountain is recovered and reused as water playing ground, and the color scheme on surface and interactive and educational water elements make kids enjoy and cherish every drop of water. Here water becomes an important ecological factor and local cultural factor in addition to a merely environmental factor. The dongfeng park is therefore recovered as an ecological infrastructure providing ecological services and benefit to local community and the city.
Entrant office name: WADI ENGINEERING AND DESIGN CO.,LTD （WADI STUDIO）
Role of the entrant in the project: LANDSCAPE DESIGNER
Website: WWW.WADISTUDIO.COM
Project location (Street, City, Country): Hongta Road, City of Yuxi, China
Design year: 2016
Year Built: 2017
