Architect

Turenscape, Beijing

Type of Area

Large river with natural banks
Wetland

Land/water interaction

Flood plains
Promenade
Marsh land

Built Environment Types

Moderately built
Moderate green

Scale of Impact

District/Neighbourhood
City

Intervention Scale (Spatial)

Linear development – multiple interventions

Project Types

Public green space regeneration
Outdoor recreation

Urban/ Rural

Inner urban area

Visibility and Openness

Fully enclosed
Fully contained view

Keeping the ecological processes intact

The Red Ribbon Tanghe River Park in Qinhuangdao City, China is a river landscape project integrating decidedly artistic elements into an almost forgotten natural terrain with overgrown vegetation. It was initiated by the municipality, being planned and constructed in 2006 by an interdisciplinary design team, assembled under the lead of TurenScape landscape architects. This red ribbon follows a linear corridor for five hundred metres in an area of about 20 hectares, integrating lighting, seating and orientation signs. It shows how a minimal but distinctive design solution improves the surrounding river landscape. It preserves as much of the natural river as possible, while a process of urbanisation happens nearby.

Despite the urbanisation process, the project keeps the ecological processes of the site intact by inventing an urban river that goes beyond the traditional way of presenting a landscape image under human control that completely restrains natural processes. The project is located on the Tanghe River, at the growing urban fringe of Qinhuangdao and the site is covered with lush native vegetation that provides diverse habitats. It was a rubbish dump with deserted sheds, huts and irrigation facilities, once used for farming. Although the site offered some recreational uses such as fishing or jogging in the past, it was virtually inaccessible for most visitors. Thus, the site conditions presented opportunities as well as challenges for the design solution.

The major design challenge was how to preserve the natural habitats along the river while reacting to new affordances evolving from the increasing population. So instead of replacing lush nature with hard pavement and ornamental flower beds, the new red ribbon design was implemented. The ribbon itself is a long, red-coloured bench, covering a former irrigation ditch wall, integrating a boardwalk made of fibre steel, which is lit from inside and with plants growing in well-placed holes in the ribbon. Along the path, cloud shaped steel pergolas located at strategic meeting points provide shade, accompanied by a patchwork of perennial flower gardens. The red ribbon links the natural vegetation and the new flower gardens, providing a structural instrument to reorganise the former unkempt and inaccessible site.

This minimal intervention turned the formerly inaccessible waterfront into a recreational area. The Red Ribbon is a central element weaving the site together while the park maintains the natural state of the vegetation that changes depending on the water level. The intervention creates spaces for people to rediscover their nearby urban wilderness.