Kunshan, China, located near Shanghai, has experienced unprecedented population and business growth in recent years which has resulted in environmental degradation and the need for the city to reshape its identity. SWA’s proposal aims to create a new waterfront district providing businesses as well as residents with public amenities and viable open space. The master plan balances development and environmental conservation on the Wusong Riverfront by employing highly detailed infrastructural systems that integrate cutting-edge hydrological design and land planning. The water treatment system acts as the central organizing structure of the site by introducing a sequence of several pools and channels that remove targeted pollutants by settling, filtration, aeration, and bio-processing in alternating oxic and anoxic environments. Existing storm pipe outlets that previously discharged directly into the inner bay are retrofitted, allowing water to pond onsite and flow over land in bio-swales before entering the treatment system or inner bay. SWA’s design also seeks to reconnect the population and river by maximizing the waterfront edge for varying scales and layers of experience. The perimeter of the bay is designed as an open space system with interconnected bicycle and pedestrian paths. Sustainable systems created by the compact master plan create a comfortable outdoor microclimate, encouraging people to use alternative, eco-friendly means of transportation. By designing a comprehensive sustainable network of water-cleansing and climate improving systems, the project exceeds development objectives while creating a new riverfront park for the residents of Kunshan.
St Johns Riverfront Design Incentive Strategy
As part of a larger effort to establish its downtown as a center for business and culture during a period of unprecedented growth, the City of Jacksonville was in need of a design and investment strategy for its underused waterfront along both banks of the St. Johns River. The design team’s approach entails both a large-scale and a node-based strategy, identif...
Amber Bay
The Amber Bay residential development is located on a beautiful rocky promontory that is among the last available parcels along the Dalian shoreline, southeast of the city center. The project features high-end low density modern style residential development including single family villas, townhouses, and low-rise condominiums; shops and seafood restaurants on...
Hunter's Point South Waterfront Park
Hunter’s Point South Waterfront Park was envisioned as an international model of urban ecology and a world laboratory for innovative sustainable thinking. The project is a collaboration between Thomas Balsley Associates and WEISS/MANFREDI for the open space and park design with ARUP as the prime consultant and infrastructure designer.
What was once a ba...
Shekou Promenade
A gateway for China’s open-door policy, Shekou has revitalized its fragmented and hazardous coastline into a dynamic six-kilometer promenade that masterfully captures the area’s cultural and natural essence.
The promenade repurposes the disconnected former industrial waterfront into a celebrated open space system with new recreation programs...