Dragonfly Park

In the past, Hoi An coastal landscape is formed by sand dunes and local vegetation.

However, in the last 20 years, the development of economy, tourism and construction of seaside resorts has caused huge consequences including flattened natural terrain, more concrete zones, and exotic plants growth.

Dragonfly Park has been conceived with the aim of improve public spaces in the city and of changing thoughts and approaches of city’s authorities in constructing coastal projects as well as increasing physical area for public’s playing ground.

The site locates on the coast of Hoi An, one of the very few areas with the primitive topography and more than 40 existing native plants. With such existing natural conditions, Dragonfly Park was developed with the concept to protect the native landscape of the area. Inspired by the way a dragon fly gently landing on a tree branch or a water surface, the design of the park tried to maintain the entire existing habitat and put almost no intervention to the land. That is the idea to bring users closer to nature, and change their awareness about it.

The entire vegetation on site are kept intact. Three works have been added to the park including: The Hammock garden, The Dragonfly restroom, and Exhibition / Play Area.

Hammock Garden is the play and rest area for both children and adults. Inspired from spider web, and made from ropes, the hammocks are tied to the casuarina trees. At different times of the day, they could be tied to different trees to ensure shade and comfort for users. This flexibility allows children to creatively active and discover upon their own. The hammocks could be easily made by local people.

The concept for the restroom has been derived from the dragonfly with the two light and large wings. These wings have been designed to sustain the strong wind from the sea and collect rainwater. Together they could collect 180 cubic meters per year, equivalent to 5000 times of flushing the toilet.

Exhibition Center locates next to the sea. The design concept was inspired from the dead trees on the beach due to erosion. All the branches are deeply planted in the sand and linked together at the top, resembling the Casuarina trees and the way they hold on together to sustain strong wind. After the next two months, this structure will be reused entirely to build an active play space for children. The space then will be restructured, resembling a native coastal plant of Hoi An.