CHINA INTERNATIONAL GARDEN EXPO 2015

FINALIST OF THE INTERNATIONAL FIELD OF 900 DESIGNERS FOR THE 10TH ANNUAL GARDEN EXPO

Our submittal entitled FOUND, is a demonstration garden utilizing recycled building materials, native plant communities and aquatic life as an artistic medium to create a sensory rich landscape experience. Rapid redevelopment of the Chinese urban landscape has produced a vast supply of demolition debris.

Our proposal of reuse symbolically ties artifacts of past with a new developing culture. The design strategy shapes red-brick and concrete remnants into pathways and landforms that move through the site like a ribbon or meandering river. Native wildflowers and grasses will act as living kinetic sculptures, expressing ephemeral qualities captured by light, wind and seasonal change.

The design is centered around a reflection pond that captures the sky above and is stocked with Tilapia, an aquaculture species farmed in China. Visitors will have the opportunity to interact with and feed the fish that will be harvested as garden expo ends. Cleared tree trunks collected during the site demolition process will be collected and composed as a sculptural element within the pond. The arching trunks will act like a sundial, casting shadows across water’s surface thought the day.