The Jade Island project proposal attempts to address unfavorable
site conditions while creating a pleasant tourist environment. Located in an area of Shenzhen that is not
densely populated, the site is not favorable for the program of the project: an
outdoor mall and tourist attraction. In addition to lacking an urban density
capable of supporting a mall, the visual scenery of the ocean surrounding the
site is diminished due to its proximity to the Shenzhen shipping port. Pollution
from the surrounding city reduces the viability of utilizing the surrounding
scenery as a backdrop for the recreational center, and an island obscures the
view of the ocean from the site.
Instead of viewing these site constraints as limitations,
iNgAmE utilizes them to create an artificial theme park that focuses on
creating its own internal natural landscape. The island that prohibits the
ocean view becomes the physical limit and focal point of the natural perimeter
of the internalized amusement park, while an artificial “mountain” forms the artificial
site limit. Between lies a village, a valley, and a water source to create a
closed, autonomous system that is independent of the unfavorable site
conditions surrounding the mall.
The exterior street façade of Jade Island is independent in
its appearance from the interior courtyard condition. The fantasy and spectacle
of a faux mountain village is contained to the interior while the exterior
façade presents a different identity. Artificiality subtly blends to natural as
the Jade Island proposal focuses on the internal spectacle.