City Gather is an urban park project in the City Series planned by Poly Real Estate for Changsha. The 10 000m² City Gather Park is situated in the Xiangjiang New District. The designers at Dean Design offered a multiplicity of vistas and activities, presenting a unique opportunity for relaxation and self-reflection in the city.

Information provided by Dean Design

Sensitively located next to a wetland

The project is located near several high-profile amenities such as the Tianxin District Commercial Centre and the Yuelu Cultural Centre, and anchored by the burgeoning development surrounding the city centre. It is adjacent to the 7 200-acre Yanghu National Wetland Park, creating the ideal opportunity for a new project encompassing green, ecological and progressive values.

Integration between people and nature

Urban parks and landscapes are becoming more popular due to excelled urbanisation and continuously developing and advanced high-tech lifestyles. It has become necessary to rethink the relationship between people and nature and the integration thereof.

The focus is on the integration of natural ecology and urban life. Dean Design takes the concept of human experience enriched by art, and applies it to the design of all elements in the project by taking the theme of an urban forest and applying it to planting arrangements, pathways, outdoor furniture and sculptures.

The Deer

The Deer is the first high-end project of the City Series – planned for Changsha to create a synthesis of culture and nature for visitors to the park. The combination of forest community and activities park allows for a unique and memorable urban but close to nature experience.

Pathway’s design and views

By using plants and trees, light and reshadow, sculpted deer and interweaving it with winding paths, a scenic portrayal is ensured. The planting design corresponds with the pathway’s views, helping the designers to create the experience of being in a natural wooded environment. The deer sculptures are the focal point and bring a sense of vitality to visitors.

The sculpture

Tranquil sounds of nature, streams and cascading waterfalls stimulate all senses. The sculpted deer adds a touch of aesthetic charm. By combining art, landscaping and aiming to create a metaphorical bridge between humanity and nature, the project’s underlying meaning is addressed: A symbiosis of scenery and emotion.

The mushroom cloud

Visitors are entertained with geometry within the landscape, creating contrast as well as unique opportunities to discover new subtleties. Along the winding paths, visitors come across lively installations composed of circular forms within the landscape.

The principles and sensibilities of contemporary art are incorporated into the park’s abundant natural features, addressing art and nature, and allowing for an adventurous relationship. 

The cloud mushroom sculptures are an exuberant expression of creativity, adding playful elements and transforming interactions with them, young and old alike, to create an active area for the community.

The ring

Adjacent to the water feature area, visitors will pass through the steel ring installation, echoing the pure, minimalist aesthetics of contemporary art. Ponds allow visitors to experience living in close proximity to water and create poetic feelings and emotions.

On the water surface visitors can observe the reflections of trees, light and sculptures fused together, seeing nature through the aesthetics of landscape and design.

The playground

The children’s playground, hidden amongst the trees, is for children’s activities and a place where the local community can enjoy a lively and dynamic ambience.

The playground integrates parent-child interaction, play activities and socialising opportunities such as the “deer house” slide, the colourful ground surface, seesaws and fitness equipment providing a tactile connection.

The park’s concepts of “deer by the lake” and “children playing in a forest” are brought to life, supporting visiting children’s well-being and sense of wonder.

Rediscover and explore

With city life and its concrete buildings, a detachment from nature is normal. With the Changsha City Gather project, the designers aim to allow urbanites to rediscover and explore nature within the city, by promoting an innovative ecological system combined with a poetic, aesthetically refined environment.

A mythic forest

Dean Design has successfully and wondrously created a mythic forest within an urban park, where art and nature are gracefully intertwined. It has created a natural landscape compatible with urban life, a vibrant gathering place for public activities and provided a place of friendly interaction between city workers, the local community and visitors, opening the way towards new possibilities, ideas and lifestyles.

Project information
Project name: Changsha Poly City Gather.
Project location: Yuelu District, Changsha.
Landscape area: 10 000m².
Completion date: January 2021.
Client: Hunan Poly Real Estate Development Ltd.
Client team: Zhou Rong, Xin Yongguang.
Design firm: Dean Design.
Service scope: Landscape and IP Design, Landscape Sculpture, Lighting, Furniture and Installation Design and Project Implementation.
Photography: Chill Shine.

Full acknowledgement and thanks go to Current-Newswire and Dean Design for the information in this editorial.

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