Located by the rear channel of the Pearl River in Guangzhou, a foreign trade hub of China, Julong Bay was once an industrial waterfront bustling with cargo ships and heavy trucks. Since 1900s, many foreign companies started their wharves and warehouses in the area, followed by local engineering workshops, steel mills, shipyards, etc., making the bay a primary industrial base of the city for decades.
Affected by rapid urbanization in recent years, heavy industries have gradually moved away, leaving behind empty yards and vacant buildings. Since 2019, the area began its regeneration into a new urban district that mixes office, cultural, commercial, residential, and recreational uses. Phase 1, the 26,880 m2 former Wharf 3 and Chongkou Warehouse, was master planned to introduce a blueway and the new Bai’Etan Exhibition Center, reconnecting with the urban fabric and providing a much-needed public open space for nearby communities and new developments.
A Sustainable Landscape Rooted in the Context
The existing site was far from an ideal public realm. After in-depth site investigation and dialogues with the client and local stakeholders, the project team developed an innovative design that is ecologically, socially, and economically sustainable.
A Public Riverfront of Cultural Identity
The design integrated the master plan concept, Living with Ficus, an essential component in vernacular Lingnan culture, with the riverfront’s strong industrial character to celebrate the site’s unique identity. Three major existing features representing mixed cultural influences– Ficus, warehouse, and river– were preserved and taken as design inspiration for elements like the floodwall, railing, light poles, and Ficus Café.
A conversation with the site’s history framed the project’s spatial structures and material selection. The Warehouse Plaza extends the historical building façade composition, while the restored Chongkou Landing recalls the busy working riverfront. Existing tracks, cleats, bricks, wood beams, and concrete paving were salvaged and reused, while new elements were designed to recall the site’s memory.
Programs for All
Social impact was taken into serious consideration during the design process. The project returns an isolated site to the public realm via a collective memory of the community with diverse and accessible programs organized in various spaces.
The extended blueway offers opportunities for strolling, jogging, cycling, sightseeing, and education on endangered fauna and flora species in the region. The flanked spaces provide river access, contemplation milieu, exercise spots for senior citizens, and flexible uses in both formal and casual settings. The Ficus Café and floodwall bar tables activate the waterfront and generate income to support the project’s operation and maintenance.
Climate-Positive Design
Nature-based solutions were adopted to improve resilience and restore habitats. The reshaped riverbank at Chongkou Landing helps attenuate the flood, and the gabion terrace along the existing embankment provides valuable riparian habitats. A significant vegetation cover increase and the installation of rain gardens and permeable paving resulted in 82% retention of runoffs. Most new plants are native to the Pearl River Delta, reducing irrigation water usage and providing valuable habitats for wildlife.
The material reuse and preservation was maximized to reduce the project’s carbon footprint. Besides a variety of building materials, most existing trees are preserved, and the original floodwall was integrated with outdoor bar tables and benches extending the services from Ficus Cafe. The project also applied rapidly-renewable material and assemblies to lessen its environmental impact and life-cycle waste flows.
All site lighting uses LED light sources to reduce electricity usage. Local materials and contractors were sourced to lower the embodied carbon and support the local economy.
Compared with conventional approaches, the project reduced 365 tons of carbon emissions and saved 12% material costs during construction, while dropping electricity usage by 60% and saving $8,000 in stormwater management annually after occupancy.
Collaboration
The project is made possible thanks to the in-depth communication and collaboration shared within the interdisciplinary design team, the client, the contractors, local stakeholders, and USGBC. The project team invested a significant amount of time in educating the client and stakeholders on how the proposed approach would bring long-term benefits. This trust-building process was pivotal to the eventual success of the project.
Impact
Since completion, the project has received considerable attention and praise. Its strong sustainable initiatives and sense of local identity have earned it the first SITES Platinum in China as well as many national and international design awards. Its success has also attracted large capital investments and catalyzed the holistic regeneration of Julong Bay.
Architecture offices involved in the design: Pubang Landscape Architecture Co., Ltd.
Location: No.146 Fangcun Avenue East, Liwan District, Guangzhou, China
Design year: 2020 – 2021
Year Completed: 2021/12
