Gear Garden

Gear Garden is another low-cost, recyclable demonstration garden built by Atelier Scale under sustainable design principles, located in Deyang, Sichuan. Deyang is a national heavy-industrial base and one of Sichuan's earliest industrial areas; during research, the team found that China Erzhong, the Second Heavy Machinery Group, is a shared memory of Deyang residents, and historical industrial genes are visible throughout the city and embedded in daily life. The garden continues the studio's modular recyclable approach: modules derive from the city's industrial identity, with gears transformed into hexagonal units of 500-millimeter side length and 1,000-millimeter diameter, which conveniently set out paths and seating during design and ease positioning during construction. Although Corten steel was first preferred for its heavy texture, cost control required a low-cost substitute; after extensive research and factory trials, the team sprayed iron powder and reactant onto specially treated galvanized steel to rapidly produce a rusted finish that achieves the Corten look at lower cost. Construction took only 20 days from entry to opening, confirming the advantages of modular building: rapid realization and precise control of quality and cost. The sloping site with a one-meter rise was handled by placing the main support columns at the top and arranging modules along the terrain without further intervention. During construction, an elderly passerby stopped to observe and told the team that the garden reminded him of his days working in the factory; the rusted garden resonates with the city's temperament and with its former builders. Planting design treats softscape as relatively precise: after establishing the key spatial atmosphere, the team prioritizes the stability of plant communities, selecting woody and perennial species for the skeleton and adding surprise, base, and off-season plants on site.