Regenerative Ecology: The Restoration of Shunxing Quarry Park | GVL & SCUT

The ecological restoration design project of Shunxing Quarry Park is based on the design concept of sustainable ecology. Its aim is to facilitate the harmonious coexistence of man and nature by adhering to the motto, “Clearwater and green mountains are gold water and silver mountains”. By respecting and protecting the traces of industry, the landscape restoration of mine pits can be achieved. Safety was a key focus of the project from both ecological and mechanical perspectives. The Shunxing Quarry Park project writes a new chapter in the development of green mining and rewarded by being named a “model mining transformation area”. In the long term, it will mature into a comprehensive health tourism resort and form an ecological closed-loop system in which sustainable economic value is created.

Shunxing Quarry Park has a large area of mine pits and pools, a high-altitude transport belt corridor, and offices and dormitories of various styles. Due to geographic and funding constraints, the current site staff and managers face certain risks during their work. The ecological environment of the mining area is poor, primarily because of the large amount of dust generated in the mining process. Indeed, the local ecosystem needs to be better protected, and the associated design work to address this problem must be based on the site’s specific and complex geographic traits.

As a base for mining and stone processing in Guangzhou, this project brings huge benefits, both direct and indirect, to society, specifically in the ecological restoration and greening of the mine pit. It also has value as a model project and an example of scientific progress. In addition, on the foundation of its current prowess in sandstone aggregate production, Shunxing Quarry Park’s development will closely align with the industrial and urban-rural integration development of Taiping Town and the southern area of Conghua.

For years, the mining industry has been in economic decline. Whenever a mine closes, another piece of the industry dies. This is also the fundamental reason why so many mining towns are in trouble as resources become exhausted and more sites are shuttered. Since 2018, 350 million yuan ($49m USD) has been invested in Shunxing Quarry Park to complete ecological restoration, develop a cultural tourism park, and initiate the second phase of the Industry 4.0 Dust-free Intelligent Production Line. It has led the building of first-class facilities, technology, and services that create public excitement and encourage ecological safety. Shunxing Quarry Park has become a new benchmark for green development and transformation in the mining industry; now, mining is not a destroyer of the environment but a restorer. It turns the impression of the traditional mining industry on its head and recreates a green landscape mine with high ecological value.

The park’s prototype has already been constructed in the mining area, and the proceeding phases are being implemented presently. Its whole life cycle ecological model has undoubtedly opened up a new path and provided a model for future green and sustainable development projects of open pit mines.

Regenerative Ecology: The Restoration of Shunxing Quarry Park

Location: Conghua District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, China

Design Firm: GVL Design Group,School of Architecture, South China University of Technology (SCUT)

Design Leaders: Peng Tao, Lai Wenbo

Design Team: Li Peng, Zhou Xianhui, Pan Qingwen, Xia Weizhou, Wu Jianhao, Lin Rongshou, Chen Yiyu, Yang Jiancong, Li Xianxing, Hu Weijia

Client: Guangzhou Shunxing Quarry Co., Ltd.

Materials: Weathering steel, Stone, Aluminum plates, Frosted glass

Construction Team: Guangzhou Huahui Landscape Engineering Co., Ltd.

Photography: GVL Design Group

About Damian Holmes 3253 Articles
Damian Holmes is the Founder and Editor of World Landscape Architecture (WLA). He is a registered landscape architect (AILA) working in international design practice in Australia. Damian founded WLA in 2007 to provide a website for landscape architects written by landscape architects. Connect on Linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/damianholmes/