Water Distributing Park | Chengdu, China | Lab D+H

“Water Distributing Park”, located in the core area of Luxelakes Eco-city, is another exploration and practice of Lab D+H Shanghai in the organizational relationship between urban residential space and waterfront space after “Water Crossing Park”.

01/Humanity classroom paying tribute to the wisdom of the ancients: Water Distributing Park is not only for the history and but also for the modernity

The design of Water Distributing Park skillfully deals with engineering, entertainment, and ecological attributes of water. With reference to the design of its dam gates such as Yuzuikou, Feisha Dam and Baopingkou, the waterscape is used for multiple purposes in a ditch with a length of about 800 meters. The design of the ditch makes the depth and velocity of the water flow different, and the whole waterscape interaction system can be controlled by time and zone division. Water Distributing Park provides an entertainment and visual enjoyment space, assists the dredging of Luxelakes in flood season, plays its ecological role and benefits the residents of Luxelakes.

02/Public living room gathering popularity and vitality: Water Distributing Park is not only for the community but also for the city

Water Distributing Park is located in the heartland of Luxelakes Eco-city. Although the site covers over 10,000 square meters, it is the initial section of the four parts of “Water to Chengdu” and the source of the community water system. The waterfront culture of living by the water and living comfortably and happily is continued and inherited here.

It runs from top to bottom and from land to water. There are no clear tour routes in the site, but the traffic is closely connected with the surrounding main roads to present a highly instructive effect. The three-dimensional and slightly unexpected spatial pattern will stimulate the creative and spontaneous exploration of visitors. The recreation of residents and tourists in different areas forms a space experience of seeing and being seen, which provides infinite possibilities for relaxation, social contact and festivals.

When Water Distributing Park “comes across” a sea of people, it seems more like an urban experiment. In fact, it seldom happens that the number of people present in a community park is seriously disproportionate with the spatial scale. Although we are not sure whether the public landscape can stand the test of time in this urban phenomenon, we have always insisted on making the community space more reasonable and letting the public enjoy the landscape resources more naturally.

03/Landscape park arousing natural memories: Water Distributing Park is not only for the minority and but also for the majority

Natural narration has always been the theme of the four parts of “Water to Chengdu”. Its uniqueness lies in the continuous and complex waterscape system, which makes a height difference above the height difference, stitches dozens of ditches with different textures in series and decorates the natural riverbed with subtle landscape to make it show various waterscape forms under the natural action of water flow. Water Distributing Park has 12 waterscape nodes in the 800-meter-long ditch, including dozens of water interaction ways and hundreds of groups of nozzles and induction devices with different specifications. You can fully “play with” the water from the trickle to the rapid undercurrents and from the quiet foggy forest to the valley waterfall.

Water Distributing Park is just a beginning, and it represents a brand-new exploration for the younger generation of landscape designers to lead water to urban life again. We take delight in observing how the citizens accept it, love it and integrate it into their life.

Here, people’s activities are closely related to the changes of the water system, and water has become the soul of the Luxelakes Community. Humanity classroom, public living room and landscape park are converged in Water Distributing Park. This is a journey connecting humanity and nature in Chengdu.

Water Distributing Park | Chengdu, China | Lab D+H

Project Name: Water Distributing Park

Location: Chengdu, China

Landscape Architect: Lab D+H

Completion Year: 2022

Gross Built Area:  12500㎡

Photo: ©Bing Lu, DiD Studio

About Terren Shi 116 Articles
Terren is an emerging graduate landscape architect with a passion for design theory and history. She holds a Bachelor of Design and a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Melbourne, which she completed in 2020 and 2022 respectively. Currently, Terren works as a sessional tutor at the Melbourne School of Design. She also contributes interviews and essays on landscape architecture and design.