Located in a lotus-themed municipal park in Luohu District, Shenzhen, China, the Honghu Water Purification Plant is a key project for water pollution control in the city, which employs an advanced fully-buried water purification technology. NODE designed the restored surface landscape on top of the water purification facility, and the underground offices at the northern end.
Due to the importance of the park in the city, the projec faced multiple claims from different aspects as we started our design. At the same time, the fully-buried water purification plant inevitably brought design challenges above the ground. Eventually, we went beyond the engineering logic, and created an aesthetic and community-friendly public space.
We conducted researches and extracted elements from the spatial prototypes of the “pagodas, pavilions, gazebos and corridors (塔、亭、榭、廊)” of traditional Lingnan gardens, and transformed them with contemporary design languages and materials. By means of public art installation design approaches, we naturally made the highest vent shaft a bird watching platform and an important lotus landmark in the Park. The medium and small-sized vent shafts containing evacuation stairs were designed with accessible paths and platforms, or covered with greenery, reflecting different characteristics in spatial form for public experiences.
After opening, the project was named Shenzhen Lotus Water Culture Base, and became a popular place for lotus viewing and relaxation. It represents important attempt of NODE in infrastructure publicization projects over the years in terms of interdisciplinary design practice of water purification and landscape architecture. We hope that, through the active design efforts of landscape architects/architects, the water purification facilities that are indispensable for our daily life will become pleasant and ceremonial places in the city for public experience and learning, thus redefine the significance of infrastructure in both spiritual and aesthetic dimensions.
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