In the 13,000-square-meter community park, we use the natural material of large boulders —representing eternity— as the core design element of the garden, naturally integrating with the functional and experiential activities. For example, boulders lying over a sandpit can be transformed into climbing and resting play structures; stones in the shallow creek can become part of the water play installation. And the massive rock cave adventure space is creatively realized by the increasingly advanced 3D-printed concrete technology.
— Boulder Park: The First 3D Concrete-Printed Playground

01 Design Background
Boulder Park, located in the Yunwan Garden of Vanke Snow Mountain City in Ji'nan, Shandong, covers an area of approximately 13,000 square meters in the central area of the community. It serves as a comprehensive community park that combines children’s playground, shallow stream water activities, parent-child interaction, and leisure. According to the style characteristics and functionality, the park is generally divided into several areas: the All-Age Boulder Playground, Water Garden, Forest Garden, Stone Garden, and Flower Garden. Among them, the children's activity part, which is designed by XISUI Design, includes the All-Age Boulder Playground, Water Garden, and Forest Garden.

02 Boulder Playground
In terms of interactive experiences, the All-Age Boulder Playground and Forest Garden incorporate a variety of children's activity facilities such as swings, slides, seesaws, trampolines, rocking horses, merry-go-rounds, climbing tunnels, speaking tubes, climbing ropes, and more. These facilities are seamlessly integrated into the natural landscape formed by large stones and concrete caves, providing children with endless enjoyment while also helping them build physical strength in their limbs. Additionally, these activities promote the development of their brain's ability to recognize nature, balance, and other essential skills.

03 Water Garden
On the west side of Boulder Playground, the Water Garden gently sketches a playful outdoor water play area, blending harmoniously with nature through its babbling shallow streams. XISUI Design's team, like artisans in the fairy tale, carefully crafted every detail, tailoring the water play experiences for little explorers of every age:All ages are invited to frolic by the fountain, feeling the delicate caress of the flowing water. Older children can explore the playful jumping springs and adventure along the winding creek. The water turntable, with its rotating dance, lures toddlers into a dreamy journey about water and wind. Water pumps and pressure water devices are like hidden puzzles, waiting for little explorers to unlock, stimulating curiosity while every success is a wonderful reward that delights connection between childhood and water.In this Water Garden, games turn into keys that open the door for children to nature, making every step in the water and every laugh a precious memory of sensing water's gentle power and experiencing coexistence with nature on equal terms.

04 Main Installations
The most eye-catching interactive installations on the site are created using cutting-edge construction technology—3D concrete printing. This advanced manufacturing method, based on digital models, forms solid structures by layering materials. The technology utilizes a computer-controlled robotic arm to precisely extrude liquid or semi-solid concrete, which then rapidly solidify, building up layer by layer until the entire structure is complete. The essence lies in the seamless integration of digital design and material science, offering unprecedented freedom and complexity in the field of spatial design and construction. This process produces unique layered rock textures that blends harmoniously with the tactile impression of natural boulders and caves. Moreover, its advantage of forming complex free-form curved structures in once enhances both the spatial accuracy and user experience.

One-Piece Molding with 3D Printing Technology
The complex, free-form curved structures are formed in once through digital-controlled 3D printing technology. This not only significantly improves the accuracy of the shapes, effectively avoiding the inevitable errors in traditional craftsmanship, but also reduces the reliance on manual skills, showcasing the close fusion of technology and art.

Layered Canyon3D
The unique layered rock texture of the 3D printing technique complements the surrounding natural stone landscape, meeting current functional needs while maintaining an atmosphere of exploration and adventure. Children playing among the "boulders" seem to be traversing real canyons.
Meanwhile, the subtle curves of the surface naturally create steps, handrails, slides, and seating elements, harmonizing function with the form of the installation.

Safety and Fun
Safety and enjoyment are particularly important in children's play areas. All landscape installations created using 3D-printing have rounded corners and smooth edges to prevent any sharp or hazardous areas that could lead to injuries. The cave-like scenes, combined with slides, tunnels, and speaking tubes, achieving a wonderful unity between the garden environment and children's play activities in terms of form and function.

05 Designer Say
Hu Yihao:
Landscape structures and installations are often small in scale, with low load requirements and simple, clear functional needs. In the application of 3D-printed concrete technology, compared to architecture, landscape projects may have even more diverse usage scenarios.
Although the current 3D concrete materials still face a series of challenges—such as uneven stress distribution and relatively simple reinforcement methods—the 3D printing materials used in Boulder Park have an average strength of 50MPA, surpassing the traditional C40 concrete strength standard. This technical specification is more than sufficient to meet the structural needs of most landscape installations and structures.
In landscape projects, outdoor durability, the ability to achieve organic shapes, ease of construction and installation, and cost savings in labor are the primary considerations. 3D printing technology, with its significant advantages in these aspects, has become an ideal choice for this purpose.