Just north of Beijing, between the Great Wall and Yanqi Lake, the Xingfa Cement Plant once fueled China’s construction boom, operating for over two decades before its 2015 closure under the National Air Quality Action Plan. Today, an adjacent quarry that once provided raw materials has been remediated as a 107.5-hectare terraced park that anchors an accompanying 17-acre research campus on the site of the plant.
Where a single willow tree once stood, the valley now supports a vast, layered network of emergent plant communities selected to adapt in rocky, alkaline soils. Native arborvitae stabilize slopes and retain moisture through summer droughts. Legume-producing species enrich the thin soil, while seasonal stands of smoke tree, mulberry, and elm provide canopy and seasonal color. Invasive plants introduced during the site’s industrial era have been cleared and replaced with species that restore soil conditions. On the southwestern end of the site, a seasonal pond has been added to retain stormwater runoff and reduce erosion across the exposed quarry floor.
Paving, walls, and trail edging were constructed using recycled stone and shale. Salvaged conveyor housings and other industrial remnants were embedded into the landscape along the “Trail of Memory,” a pedestrian spine linking the two quarry pits that pays homage to the site’s industrial past. Climbing up a nearby hilltop to an overlook pavilion, a 1.2-kilometer hiking trail provides panoramic views of the surrounding Yan Mountains.
Golden Shoal Riverfront Park
Located along Chongqing’s Jialing River, this new linear public park offered unique challenges: a 30-meter annual river fluctuation, steep topography, and low-impact maintenance of a continuous riparian corridor. Adjacent new urban development, with attendant needs for green space, called for a flexible and resilient approach to the park’s landscape and infras...
Tunica River Park
In 1990 the Mississippi Legislature legalized gaming as a job and tax creation strategy. Tunica, located at the northern border of the state near Memphis, Tennessee, was the first county to adopt gaming as an economic development strategy and implemented a program of rapid growth. The first casino was completed in 1992 and eight more were opened during the nex...
Buffalo Bend Park
Houston’s East End is a bifurcated community, with heavy industry brushing up against a vibrant and culturally diverse residential area. Answering residents’ call for more park space, SWA created Buffalo Bayou Bend Nature Park by converting a formerly neglected industrial site into a wetland ecosystem and public green space.
Three interconnected ponds, ...
Paveletskaya Plaza
Situated along Moscow’s Ring Road and adjacent to the legendary Paveletsky Station transportation hub, the park at Paveletskaya Plaza will both cover and reveal the new bustling underground retail facility below while also serving as a landmark destination for residents and visitors alike.
The extraordinary retail and architectural vision for Paveletska...