The Summit landscape is designed to be curatable and responsive to the ever-evolving demands of a vibrant city. ASPECT Studios’ approach integrates cultural, civic, retail, lifestyle, office, commercial, and riverside natural programs into a cohesive, dynamic environment.
“Our vision was to create a landscape that responds to the ever-changing dynamic of a modern city, a place that blends culture, community, and nature, offering adaptable spaces of connection, reflection, and enjoyment that are ever changing. This dynamic destination evolves with the city, providing a lasting experience that enriches the lives of all who engage with it.”
Stephen Buckle, Design Director at ASPECT Studios
The design process concentrated on meticulously programming hierarchy and manipulating spatial sequences and forms. These were purposefully crafted to generate moments of compression and release, transitioning through different scales, orientations, and experiential qualities. By integrating the architectural expression of the towers with the shifting cantilevered planes, the landscape design unified the identity of the site, connecting the urban-scale architectural icons with the human-scale experience.
At its heart, a grand cultural performance plaza and expansive event lawn anchor the new Shanghai Museum, serving as the backdrop for gathering and performance. This iconic space is framed by a long, dual-aspect granite bench, offering visitors opportunities to sit and overlook vibrant events below, fostering a sense of connection to the cultural pulse of the site.
As the design scales down, the energy increases with the retail lifestyle sunken plaza, a social hub offering a vibrant urban atmosphere. Geared towards reconnecting with the museum plaza, it features custom timber terraces interwoven with stone balconies, creating an inviting and tactile environment.
The plaza is encircled by a series of articulated social benches at ground level, harmonising with the surrounding restaurants and cafés. These human-scaled seating arrangements, placed under the dappled shade of tree canopies, offer inviting spaces for alfresco dining, informal socialising, or quiet reflection, infusing vibrancy into everyday urban life.
The office gardens provide a private retreat and a welcoming arrival experience, thoughtfully crafted to complement the office tower lobbies. Each tower entrance features tranquil mirror reflection pools, enhanced by bespoke artwork that boosts the space’s aesthetic and cultural expression.
Overall, the landscape design blends cultural, commercial, and social elements into a unified tapestry of spaces. Each layer—from the spacious performance plaza to the cosy garden retreats—is designed to balance energy with calm, spectacle with intimacy, creating a truly unique and immersive urban experience.
The Riverside Connective Park transforms the urban waterway with a multi-level riparian corridor that seamlessly blends nature, recreation, and connectivity. Terraced pathways, shaded seating, jogging tracks, a cycleway, and a floodplain planting zone encourage people to engage with the water’s edge—whether walking, cycling, or simply relaxing in the layered green space.
Seasonal planting creates shade and provides vibrant visual interest throughout the year. By balancing sustainable transportation, ecological resilience, and lively public activation, the park offers a refreshing natural contrast to the urban civic and retail core.
The Summit successfully combines civic, commercial, and natural environments into a cohesive, multifunctional landscape. By merging flexible programming with ecological resilience, it encourages community participation while providing spaces for reflection and leisure. From the lively civic areas to the tranquil riverside gardens, The Summit presents a microcosm of Shanghai’s urban life.
The Summit
Location: No. 1, Lane 99, Yanggao South Road, Pudong District, Shanghai, P.R. China.
Client: Poly Development Holding Group Co.，Ltd., Shanghai Pudong Development (Group) Co., Ltd
Landscape Architect: ASPECT Studios
Principal Landscape Architect: Stephen Buckle
Design Team: Sissy Chen, Manfred Pan,Gery Chi, Sam Xu, Phannita Phanitpharadon
Local Landscape Design: Tongji Architectural Design
Architectural Design: KPF
Interior Design: KPF
Partner Architect: Tongji Architectural Design
Traffic: WSP
Structural Consultant: Tongji Architectural Design
MEP Consultant: WSP
Sustainable design Consultant: China Academy of Buliding Research (Shanghai Branch)
Facade consultant: RFR
Signage designer: OFGA
Lighting Design: Shanghai Citelum Lighting Design
Contractor: Guangzhou Pubang Landscape Architecture Co.,Ltd
Photography: RAWVISION studio; Stephen Buckle;
