Chengdu CyPARK | a Low-carbon Landscape Approach to Revitalize an Urban Center
Merit Award /
International Project
Chengdu, China
Refreshing Landscape After Built
CyPARK introduces a refreshing new landscape of a valley-like nature experience. In contrast to urban ‘concrete forest’, wildness, originality, rawness, roughness and fresh planting tastes comprise the sensational vibe of nature.
©He Zhenhuan, Holi Photography
Bicycle Accessible Shopping Center
The project features bicycle accessibility, encouraging a sustainable arrival, a biking-and-shopping experience and socials among cyclists.
Site Context
CyPARK sits in a dense urban fabric in the southern district of Chengdu, the largest and most fashionable city in Southeast China. Embraced by four civic buildings, the 4-acre site connects adjacent neighborhoods by a district bicycle + pedestrian greenway.
Site Plan
The redesign conceived of a landscape framework with simplicity and natural ground-cracking composition to organize space, circulation and experiences.
Overlook to the West Sunken Plaza.
Great Vibe
CyPARK offers a cozy and nature shopping experience for fashion-forward individuals who enjoy outdoor shopping environments in Chengdu.
Canyon-like Void to Sunken F&B Retails
The two-level shopping stores are nestled amidst these natural green spaces, featuring a canyon-like void in the center of the site. This design provides a captivating visual experience, whether one looks up or peeks downwards.
Play Fountain
Contemplation Garden
The contemplation garden on the west corner creates a rather quite space with a circular bench and table, centered around preserved Jacaranda trees.
Bicycle Friendly Design
The site fully embodies the biking concept, ensuring that all levels are barrier-free and accessible, and that bicycle events are programmed into the site’s activities.
Community Engagement
Since its opening last June, the place has hosted over 100 events/public activities, including cyclists’ festival, weekend market, car shows, fashion shows, sports promotions, etc. It becomes a new social hub for the district and Chengdu.
Recycled Materials for Construction
The integration of recycled concrete and steel from demolished structures into foundational layers for the ground paving, such as aggregate subgrade, which reduces waste and minimizes the carbon footprint of construction.
Stormwater Management and Low-Impact Design
80 % permeable concrete paving and all gravel paving were regenerated from the demolition waste after being crushed and stirred, allowing rainwater to infiltrate the soil naturally, mitigating site flooding.
Native Plant Species for Low-Cost Maintenance
Native plants, selected for their adaptability to local climates, thrive with little water and minimal maintenance, reducing reliance on irrigation and chemical treatments.
Durable and Resilient Landscape in Winter
Client
Saiyuan Commericial
Project Team
Ying Lou, Lead Landscape Designer
Hao Du, Benwei Wang, Zhibo Xu, Qi Yang, Lina Sụn, Landscape Designers
Various Architecture, Architect
Zhong De Ji, Construction Contractor
Project Statement
Chengdu CyPARK is a new bicycle-accessible and viral shopping center that was transformed from an abandoned community complex in the south district of Chengdu, a big modern city in Southeast China. Besides its brand-new appearance like other retail developments in China, CyPARK aimed to achieve a sustainable renovation process with a low budget, limited construction resources, and the least impact on the surroundings. The redesign of its landscape focuses on creating a cozy valley park for local people who like fashion and the lifestyle of hanging out in an outdoor shopping environment, with low-carbon sustainable approaches of utilizing native plantings and on-site materials for implementation. Since its reopening, CyPARK has become a trending destination that has received over 5,000 visits daily, has significantly reduced tons of water/energy consumption, and has fully reactivated this once-dead complex with more jobs and revenue created.
Project Description
Iconic Valley Landscape
The redesign introduces a refreshing new landscape of a valley-like nature experience. In contrast to the dense and harsh urban ‘concrete forest’, wildness, originality, rawness, roughness and fresh tastes of plants comprise the sensational vibe of leisure experience without any manicured landscape. The two-level shopping stores are embraced by these natural green with a canyon-like void in the center of the site, offering a great visual experience no matter looking up or peering downwards. These characters attract people for photographing and promotion on the internet, leading to a larger influence and increasing retail revenue.
Low-carbon Approaches on transportation, implementation and maintenance
CyPARK is prioritizing and encouraging a green arrival bicycle + pedestrian for the public. A 5.4-mile north-to-south greenway connects adjacent 23 neighborhood blocks to the site via the west entrance, allowing a vehicle-free access for residents nearby. Therefore, no car parking except for handicapped is designed, leaving more space for landscape to help mitigate runoff.
In the pursuit of sustainable urban renewal, the integration of recycled concrete and steel from demolished structures into foundational layers for the ground paving, such as aggregate subgrade, which reduces waste and minimizes the carbon footprint of construction. Above this resilient base, 80 % permeable concrete paving and all gravel paving were also regenerated from the demolition waste after being crushed and stirred, allowing rainwater to infiltrate the soil naturally, mitigating site flooding. By utilizing existing drainage systems and minimizing new-built drainage, projects not only cut costs but also preserve the hydrological balance of the surrounding sewage system.
Planting plays an equally transformative role. Native plants, selected for their adaptability to local climates, thrive with little water and minimal maintenance, reducing reliance on irrigation and chemical treatments. These species are interwoven with large trees like pinus, strategically planted to provide shade, lowering ambient temperatures and creating cooler microclimates—a natural antidote to the urban heat island effect.
A Successful Revitalization Beyond Community Scale
By marrying robust, low-impact materials with regenerative landscaping, CyPARK manifests how urban renewal can harmonize ecological resilience with human-centric design. These holistic approaches extend beyond functionality to foster community engagement. Completed in just 16 months from demolition to the opening day, the project maximally reutilized on-site resources and minimized its impact to the adjacent communities and existing businesses that were operating at that time. Since its opening last June, the place is fully reactivated along with the library, the performing arts center, the exhibition hall and the youth center, where more than 100 exhibitions/public activities of cyclists’ festival, weekend market, cars/fashion shows, sports promotions have been hosted. CyPARK Project has fully flooded ‘Xiao Hong Shu’, ‘Tik-Tok’ and many other Chinese trending social media, resulting in a new social hub in the district and even in the south of Chengdu.
