Dongjiaotou Metro Station Park in Shekou Subdistrict, Shenzhen

Shenzhen, a previous small fishing village, is now one of the first-tier cities in China. People from all over the country are getting their dreams achieved in this dynamic metropolis, from generation to generation, with their great efforts and energetic youth. Shenzhen is a city always full of vitality, but lack of some pleasant sites for people to enjoy their daily life. A public space in a city should not be mechanically filled with a reinforced concrete forest, several dull spaces and strange people. It should be a cozy humanized site to go with our everyday life. Dongjiaotou Park is just an urban public space immersed in humanized cozy ambience. During a long time in the past, Dongjiaotou Park, in our mind, was a “wasteland” that no one cares about. But now, it becomes a “wonderland” that everyone would like to enjoy their leisure time there. It is often said that Shenzhen was a small fishing village, and here “Shenzhen” actually refers to Shekou, the cradle of the fishing village, of modern Shenzhen. Dongjiaotou Park is just located in the old Shekou Block, an area in urgent need of urban renewal. On the one side of the Park, it is the old Shekou Street, and on the other side, there is a modern Shekou plaza decorated with fashion elements. The existed project site was a garbage dump on a simple lawn at the subway entrance. It is actually a problematic plot with traffic congestion, dirty interface, crowded environment, insufficient supporting facilities and complicated crowds. In the face of these challenges, the designers hope to create a public space filled with reminiscence of local residents based on the culture of traditional fishing village. Also, it should be a comfortable landscaping site for a number of subway passengers to have a rest there. A city is endowed with emotions for its various interactions with people, so is a public space. An open public space is always more inclusive than other facilities in the city. There are 5 entrances set in Dongjiaotou Park, showing its inclusiveness and hospitality to invite everyone to enjoy and share the mood of this urban space. Tracing back to the design concept of “fishing village”, a dam-like subway entrance is designed with a strong luxuriant tree to pay homage to the ancient village. The high-speed “time train” is driving fast through the complicated urbanization process. Whether you could catch up with it or not, Dongjiaotou Park is an ideal place for you to have a rest, to breathe in sweet and fresh air, to enjoy your leisure life. As a tie between city and life, Dongjiaotou Park is a vitally important public space for the citizen, but often easily overlooked. What makes this city space more vibrant and livable? It is the different people who are doing various activities in the park everyday. In the center of the park, a sunken space is set for people to enjoy fresh air in the dense and crowded urban environment around them. In view of its special location above the subway station, load-bearing capacity and pipeline equipment of the site should be carefully considered. The design team dealt with it in a concise but efficient way, to build an ideal ecological sunken lawn for residents and pedestrians by integrating surrounding functional spaces. There is an art installation in the central lawn of sunken space. Its design was inspired by “multiple surfaces sequentially interlaced with each other ”, the concept of Möbius strip. The design team applied the parametric design tool to achieve the design. Two Chinese characters “”, name of the project client, was hollow-carved on the installation. Also, “Growing up with Shekou” is engraved on in Chinese with the relevant important historic years of Shekou’s development. At the very beginning, the design team decided to apply non-standardized design methods to deal with the pergola on the south of the park. Parametric design tools were used again to design the complex curved surfaces and streamlined form, creating a street furniture with the spirit of The Times. The design of Dongjiaotou Park has brought new vitality to the old Shekou Street. The introduction of modern science and technology in this project endows the older neighborhoods with brand new energy. The design also reflects the development spirit of Shekou, referring to half of the time to respect history and the other of the time to be innovative and pioneering. Shekou always marches forward bravely as a trendsetter. The side facade details of the subway air shaft is inspired by the texture of fish skin. It tells the historic memory of this site as shekou fishing village. Meanwhile, light aluminium panels and luxuriant vertical greening create soft urban boundaries, providing a vibrant green to the urban interface. A small park is easily overlooked in a large city. Every newcomer needs a place to make them connect with the surroundings, and let themselves establish knowledge of and appreciation for the location. The park is located at Exit A of Dongjiaotou Subway Station in Shekou Subdistrict, Shenzhen. The project area is only 3400 square meters. In the face of such pain points and needs as traffic congestion, dirty interface, crowded environment, insufficient supporting facilities and the diverse needs of different users, the design team is committed to creating a public space that serves the residents' living and emotional needs based on the history and culture of Shekou. Technological elements are well integrated into the park design, such as automatic sprinkler irrigation, fog spray interaction, and light-transmitting concrete walls, while drainage systems are also carefully included, to create a spongy city landscape.