Facing the sea ——Xiamen Bay Park

Location: Xiamen, Fujian Province

Client: Xiamen Landscape Architecture Bureau

Area: 20hm2

Design and Completion: 2003-2006

Award: Second Prize in Fujian Design Merit Awards

Bay Park lies between Xiamen West Harbor and Yuandang Lake. The site was originally occupied by a farmers market, with a residential area in the north and a wastewater treatment plant in the south. Because of its important location, city authority decided to build a park in this place. In 2000, a design competition was held, and soon, the construction started. The farmers market was pulled down, the ground was leveled, and large amount of dirt was transported into and temporarily piled up in south and north of the site. However, due to some reasons, the construction was stopped suddenly. As an interim measure, lawn and a few trees were planted and a few sculptures were placed.

In 2003, the project restarted. However, the original design scheme was reviewed and considered not very ideal. Thus, Atelier DYJG got the commission to redesign the park, but was asked to keep the central promenade in the original scheme and add one function for sculptures exhibition.

At that time, the existing conditions were quite simple, only a flat ground, two piles of dirt and several sculptures and trees. There were no remains on the site, but the attractive surrounding environment. The sea, distant mountains and Haicang Bridge are to the west of the site, and Yuandang Lake is to the east. We expect to establish close visual connection between the sea, the Lake and the surrounding environment through the park construction. In our design, the park is separated into east part and west part by a zigzag line. With different plants planted, clipped or unclipped, the east part is divided into many different spaces and coordinates with Yuandang Lake in spatial scale. The west part is designed to be an open lawn with scattered trees, matching with the vast sea.

Yuandang Lake and the sea are connected visually by five east-west footpaths. The central promenade divides the park into south part and north part. In the north, the hillock piled up before is reshaped into a spiral hill, separating the park from the residential area, named “Hills Garden”. In the south, the previous hillock is modeled into a series of pyramid landforms. An aquatic garden, which water comes from the southern wastewater treatment plant, is separated into many small spaces with aquatic plants of different heights, named “Water Garden”.

The structure of the Bay Park is very clear. Its spatial changes present strong visual impact and artistic sense, provide suitable environment for outdoor sculperture exhibition and are harmonized with the external environment. There are many squares and facilities interspersed in the woodlands, and tea houses, café and bars arranged along the seashore. Now, the Bay Park becomes the most popular urban park in Xiamen.