▲ Sports Park Community Activity Center
Photography: Huo Xiu
▲ Community Activity Center
Photography: Xiong Huan
Located at the final stop of Chongqing’s Rongchang District Riverside Marathon, Laixi River Ecological Sports Park is the first open community park along the Laixi River. It functions as a venue for sports events and ceremonies while also catering to the everyday needs of the surrounding neighborhoods.
The park sits on a natural embankment beside the ecologically rich Laixi River, bordered by residential areas to the east and the Yinkun Expressway to the south. With a 12-meter elevation difference within the site, it offers a dynamic spatial experience with varied viewing perspectives.
▲ Aerial view of the project
Photography: Huo Xiu
▲ Main entrance of the park
Photography: Huo Xiu
The design addresses several key challenges while preserving the site’s natural ecology: ensuring seamless access from city roads to the river, providing shaded activity spaces to avoid summer heat, minimizing the visual impact of the site’s steep elevation changes, and creating diverse activity zones that foster new landscapes integrated with the environment.
▲ Aerial view of the project
Photography: Huo Xiu
▲ Generate animation
▲ Generate animation
To achieve this, the design incorporates strategic site cuts. These utilize the existing elevation difference to carve out pathways and activity spaces, while the northeast-southwest oriented cuts channel the north wind through the terrain. Combined with the surrounding dense Metasequoia forest, this creates a natural cooling system for the park.
▲ Aerial view of the project
Photography: Huo Xiu
▲ Curved pathway adapting to terrain elevation changes
Photography: Huo Xiu
▲ Shuishan Forest
Photography: Xiong Huan
▲ Design development
The winding pathway creates various activity zones along its course. A large cantilevered structure projects upward from the facade, providing a shaded resting area below and a platform above with panoramic views of the Laixi River.
▲ Curved garden path
Photography: Xiong Huan
▲ Suspended resting space
Photography: Xiong Huan
▲ Suspended structure detail
Alongside the cut water surface, one path leads to the community activity center, while another connects to a sunken theater designed to fit naturally into the terrain. Geometric grass slopes separate functional spaces organically, creating activity areas of various sizes that encourage diverse user engagement.
▲ Water features and sculpture
Photography: Huo Xiu
▲ Reflective water feature with site cuts
Photography: Huo Xiu
▲ Reflective water feature and sculpture
Photography: Xiong Huan
▲ Sculpture detail
Photography: Huo Xiu
▲ Aerial view of the sunken theater
Photography: Huo Xiu
▲ Sunken theater and geometric grass slope
Photography: Huo Xiu
The site’s geometric spaces are wrapped in weather-resistant steel plates that age naturally over time. This evolving material becomes an integral part of the park, harmonizing with the environment and the park’s contours.
The Laixi River Ecological Sports Park successfully blends urban living with nature, weaving together the community and the Laixi River into a cohesive whole.
▲ Weather-resistant steel plate detail
Photography: Huo Xiu
▲ Site plan view
▲ Sectional view
▲ Sectional view
Project Information:
Project Name: Laixi River Ecological Sports Park
Architectural Firm: Shanghai Tianhua Landscape Architecture Co., Ltd
Office Website: __AI_ST_URL_0__
Email Contact: __AI_S_SC0__
Creator: Niu Chao
Design Team: Cao Fei, Liang Mengnan
Construction Drawing Team: Yang Kai, Fu Xiaoyan, Niu Chenyang
Plant Consultants: Zhang Wei, Lv Chaobo
Project Address: No. 91 Yudai Road, Changzhou Street, Rongchang District, Chongqing
Completion Year: 2019
Landscape Area: 50,000 square meters (BIM learning)
Photographers: Huo Xiu (Sanshan Image), Xiong Huan
Owner: Jinko Real Estate Group Co., Ltd
Project Leaders (Owner): Peng Han, Xiong Jie
Technical Consultants (Owner): Huang He, Wu Dong
Architectural Design Team: Shanghai Riqing Architectural Design Co., Ltd
Construction Drawing Team: Chongqing Qiao’en Chuangyuan Architectural Design Co., Ltd
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