#PUBLIC ARCHITECTURE PROJECTS
penda to take visitors on a nature-filled journey at the garden expo in china
penda architecture and design have unveiled their proposal for a landscape pavilion in china for the garden expo 2015.
encompassing the natural elements and an ode to water, ‘where the river runs’ will be dedicated in highlighting the importance of clean water. referencing the landscape, heritage and location of wuhan, the architects have created a dialog which brings together their proposal and the significance history of the river which influenced historic figures and brought an abundance of flora and fauna to the people.
characterized by the undulating form, the artificial landscape is composed of a pathway which weaves through carefully formed hills and valleys. simultaneously, visitors are given seeds from different local flowers and fruits to plant along the ‘riverbed’ as they are guided through the grassland. promoting a sense of engagement, this journey in which the visitors take reflects the path of a river in a way that the people become the starting point in the life-cycle of plants. intrinsically connected to nature, visitors are thoroughly immersed in the different planted, terrain-formations. following the train of scent and the colors eventually leads to the ‘central plaza’- a place for reflection and rest.
‘water is life. water is the well of our origin. it is the main designer of our environment. water is the connecting circulation system of our world and a precious resource, on which life on earth survives. it makes up two thirds of our body, just like the map of the world. our vital fluids are mainly saline, the same as the ocean. water is our physical connection with the planet.’ – penda
