Architecture

MAD's waterfront park design looks like an alien outpost

MAD's waterfront park design looks like an alien outpost
The Shenzhen Bay Culture Park is going ahead and is expected to be completed in 2023
The Shenzhen Bay Culture Park is going ahead and is expected to be completed in 2023
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The Shenzhen Bay Culture Park is going ahead and is expected to be completed in 2023
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The Shenzhen Bay Culture Park is going ahead and is expected to be completed in 2023
The Shenzhen Bay Culture Park will be located within the Houhai area of Shenzhen's Nanshan district, which MAD calls "China's Silicon Valley"
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The Shenzhen Bay Culture Park will be located within the Houhai area of Shenzhen's Nanshan district, which MAD calls "China's Silicon Valley"
The Shenzhen Bay Culture Park will include a reception area, exhibition halls, a public education space, and more
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The Shenzhen Bay Culture Park will include a reception area, exhibition halls, a public education space, and more
"I want to create a surreal atmosphere, so that the people who visit, relax or exercise here have the possibility of engaging in a dialogue with the past and the future," says Ma Yansong, founder of MAD Architects. "Time and space are dissolved and placed against each other, manifesting a sense of weightlessness, and unrestrained imagination"
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"I want to create a surreal atmosphere, so that the people who visit, relax or exercise here have the possibility of engaging in a dialogue with the past and the future," says Ma Yansong, founder of MAD Architects. "Time and space are dissolved and placed against each other, manifesting a sense of weightlessness, and unrestrained imagination"
The Shenzhen Bay Culture Park will include large green public spaces
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The Shenzhen Bay Culture Park will include large green public spaces
The Shenzhen Bay Culture Park will cover an area measuring 51,000 sq m (roughly 550,000 sq ft)
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The Shenzhen Bay Culture Park will cover an area measuring 51,000 sq m (roughly 550,000 sq ft)
The Shenzhen Bay Culture Park will feature a mirrored pool at its center that is envisioned as a performance space
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The Shenzhen Bay Culture Park will feature a mirrored pool at its center that is envisioned as a performance space
The Shenzhen Bay Culture Park will include a viewing platform overlooking Shenzhen Bay and the city's skyline
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The Shenzhen Bay Culture Park will include a viewing platform overlooking Shenzhen Bay and the city's skyline
The Shenzhen Bay Culture Park will feature multiple sunken courtyards
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The Shenzhen Bay Culture Park will feature multiple sunken courtyards
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Following major proposals for Shenzhen by MVRDV and NBBJ, MAD Architects has now revealed its own vision for the Chinese megacity. Shenzhen Bay Culture Park will create a new public park on the waterfront with a museum, theater, and more, and will be defined by unusual large stone-like buildings.

The Shenzhen Bay Culture Park will cover an area measuring 51,000 sq m (roughly 550,000 sq ft). It will be located near KPF's China Resources Tower on the waterfront, within the Houhai area of the city's Nanshan district, which is nicknamed "China's Silicon Valley."

Its most defining feature will be the stony buildings – or "smooth monumental stones," as MAD puts it. These will be connected to a museum, split into north and south buildings, and host exhibition spaces. Much of the project will be subterranean and covered with green roofs, including businesses, a theater, and cafe.

The landscaping will be extensive, with park spaces, cycle paths and pedestrian walkways, as well as large subterranean courtyards. A mirrored pool at the heart of the site is also envisioned as an amphitheater that can accommodate up to 10,000 people. Additionally, visitors will be able to reach a viewing platform overlooking Shenzhen Bay and the wider city skyline. Elsewhere will be multiple performance spaces and public art exhibition spaces.

The Shenzhen Bay Culture Park will include a viewing platform overlooking Shenzhen Bay and the city's skyline
The Shenzhen Bay Culture Park will include a viewing platform overlooking Shenzhen Bay and the city's skyline

"The sweeping green roofs and recessed courtyards form the foundation of this 'three-dimensional' citizen's park," says the firm. "It not only serves as a 24-hour open public space, but it also functions as a performance venue and exhibition area. Multiple platforms found across the enduring landscape provide outdoor performance venues and public art exhibition areas shaping a dynamic civic space for hosting art and music festivals, and other domestic and international events – a place of cultural exchange."

The Shenzhen Bay Culture Park is confirmed as going ahead and is expected to be completed in 2023.

Source: MAD

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