Honor Award
Sanlin Valley Park
Shanghai Sanlin, China
Lead Landscape Architects: Tom Leader, FASLA-Principal
Wenmo Zhang, ASLA-Associate
Client: Shanghai Land Sanlin Bund Ecology Construction Co., Ltd
Sanlin Valley Park represents a new landscape model for urban ventilation corridors. These new "urban valley parks" that transect Shanghai will restore the Huangpu River's ecological network and improve the city's natural ventilation systems. Shanghai experiences severe urban heat island effects, as well as environmental challenges brought about by rapid industrialization and urbanization. To alleviate these stresses, the design team used computational modeling of environmental factors to inform an approach that would be responsive to complex site conditions. These analyses, along with input from local communities, city authorities, and other experts yielded a meticulously conceived conceptual design that blurs urban-rural boundaries by improving air circulation and quality for a megalopolis hungry for a glimpse of nature within the urban landscape. Sanlin Valley Park plays upon the relationship between topography, water, and air currents to restore a vibrant ecological network and public park that will be an amenity for Shanghai residents for decades to come.
