Yearning and first meeting
When mentioning Fuzhou, the nickname “Left Sea” conceals millennia of cultural heritage. It bears the historical imprint of the “Mighty Capital of Fujian, Renowned Prefecture of China,” unfolds as a verdant landscape of “Three Mountains Standing Tall, One River Flowing Endlessly,” and embodies the deep-rooted affection for one’s homeland captured in the saying, “No matter how far you roam, you never stray far from Fuzhou.” Today, in the waterfront heartland of Taijiang District’s Minjiang North CBD, a project spanning 115,000 square meters—blending urban park and shopping center—is poised to become Fuzhou’s new landmark. Leveraging its prime location along the two rivers and four banks, it carries the promise of redefining the cityscape.
As urban development calls for more captivating gathering spaces and commercial venues seek to transcend flat boundaries to draw more foot traffic, Zuohai Light-Year Park emerges at just the right moment. Centered on the TOD/POD model, it seamlessly integrates subway, bus, retail, parks, and surrounding office clusters into a multidimensional urban hub brimming with vitality. Here, the boundaries between nature and the city dissolve as ecological greenery and commercial experiences deeply intertwine. The unique concept of “rooftop strolls and park shopping” is about to come to life. A landmark commercial complex where you can play, explore, and experience; a floating forest coexisting with water; a diverse, multi-dimensional urban vitality garden—all poised to become Fuzhou’s premier Citywalk destination, unlocking new horizons for urban living.
Design Thinking
Leveraging the advantages of its location and surrounding supporting facilities, the landscape design will create a layout of “one axis, two belts and multiple nodes” to guide and promote the coordinated, interconnected development of the Minjiang North CBD area.
Design Practice
Courtyard of Flowing Light North Entrance Interface
As the site’s first urban interface, the North entrance square serves as an image display and a flow guide. The entrance steps are designed in an episodic style, with colourful lamps, dry spray plazas, rhythmic wave balustrades and additional elevations to create a lively and immersive business atmosphere that draws people away from the noisy urban interface.
“One axis”: the central activity display axis extending from the north-south main entrances and the sunken square; “two belts”: a vibrant sports belt and a leisure art belt formed in line with the surrounding land use formats; “multiple nodes”: functional activity areas such as garden restaurants and power matrices to meet the diverse needs of all age groups.
At the same time, the theme sculpture connects the upper park to the lower shopping mall, highlighting the characteristics of Fuzhou’s city symbol. The banyan tree shape is redefined in a simple, light, and ultra-modern way and integrated into the site’s spatial shaping.
Garden Restaurant and Event Venue
To cater to the activity needs of all age groups, the site integrates social, leisure, children’s, and sports functions into the landscape space, featuring garden restaurants, children’s activity areas, and trendy skateboarding zones.
Modern Theater Sunken Theater
The core of the site features a sunken, cohesive plaza space. A circular walkway channels foot traffic and sightlines toward the central area, where we envision creating a three-dimensional performance stage that harnesses energy. This design both unleashes the spatial potential of the sunken plaza and enhances the visual impact of the fifth façade.
Impressions of Minjiang: Overhead Park Entrance Plaza
The south plaza connects to the rooftop park and faces the Min River directly, offering exceptional scenic views and spatial continuity. The south entrance plaza features a 16-meter-tall “Galaxy Trajectory” sculpture, establishing a new landmark for single-piece art installations in the Jiangbei CBD. Its stepped, cascading water treatment defines the boundaries and enhances the ceremonial feel of the entrance, clearly distinguishing its spatial character from that of the rooftop park plaza. Furthermore, the plaza integrates with surrounding garden restaurants, observation elevators, and the rooftop park plaza to form a large-scale, immersive central plaza. This space can host city-level events such as light shows and carnivals, further energising the overall atmosphere of the park.
Fuzhou Zuohai Light Year Park
Location: Fuzhou City, Fujian Province, China
Design Firm: Waterlily Studio
Design Team: Schematic Design Team: Hsiao Tsehou,Xu Jianlong, Zuo Yang, Ru Yali, Zhou Jingze, Kao Chihyun, Zhang Yunhua, Cheng Gang, Zhou Zhenglong, Yang Yifan, and Zhu Jueqi
Construction Drawing Design Team: Cheng Ming, Li Shenggui, Xu Jie, Wan Zhiye, Li Li
Clients: Fuzhou Industrial Park Development Group Co., Ltd.
Hardcover Design: JATO Design
Lighting Design: LEOX Lighting Design
Logo Design: Baiyu Creative Design
Photography: Shrimp Studio