Living by the Water, One Sanlong Bay

AECOM Hong Kong

Short description

One Sanlong Bay is a 9-hectare high-end development along the Dong Ping River in Foshan, a large city neighbouring Guangzhou expected to reach megacity status soon. This exemplary project is meant to set a benchmark for future integrated developments. Comprised of ten residential towers, villas, two commercial towers, and a multi-level retail mall, the development’s expansive green podium creates opportunities to utilize green connective landscape to unify the diverse functions, creating a holistic landscape.

‘Living by the Water’ is one of the design’s driving concepts. The 11,000-square-meter Sales Gallery is a key design area where traditional ideas are reinterpreted into contemporary forms. During the Song Dynasty, China established a formidable navy to protect the booming ceramics trade. A series of water drawings from that period inspired the design’s balance of land and water, and relaxation and ambition. By translating the character of the drawings into three-dimensional space, the design creates six thematic landscape experiences and contemplative water scenes.

The ground plane, ponds, stepped water features, and planters flow into each other to frame a visitor journey through the space, which runs parallel to the river and terminates with a view of the fan-like suspension bridge announcing the immensity of the adjacent waterway. The water-bordered path is marked by local crafts, from century-old Podocarpus macrophyllus trees to sculptural abstractions of leaping dragons, to highlight the confluence of nature, art, and culture. The landscape design ensures that the local crafts and riverine nature of the city that once propelled Foshan are honoured as the city looks towards a new period of growth.