LOTUS ECO-BUS STOP by 100architects (Shanghai)

Sea Horse is a water play park designed by 100architects for the public area of a new residential compound in Chongqing, as part of the Dongyuan horse series. The surrounding public area already includes a swimming pool, and this addition is a children's water playscape intended to foster entertainment and social interaction among the community's children. Following the client's request to add a water element to the horse series, the team conceived the seahorse, the horse of the water realm. The main feature is a sunken wet area shaped like a seahorse, visible not only from within the playscape but from all the surrounding residential towers. The seahorse platform hosts most of the water features, colored in a unified palette and spraying water inward. Around it, a contrasting striped palette defines a dry play area with dry play equipment so that the space remains usable in winter. The dry area is circular, mimicking the ripples of water. The result is a colorful, eye-catching playscape with play features for children and shaded seating for adults, visible from every tower, and it extends the horse series into a fully aquatic theme. The water features are designed to be shallow and safe for young children, and the dry play area means the installation remains a destination even when the water is turned off during cooler months.