森林公园
Forest Park
平台工作室：昆山位于上海和苏州之间，是一个发展迅速的县级城市。最近，大量的工业工人和居民被吸引到新兴的昆山西部科技区，这就需要有意识地纳入绿色基础设施，以支持该区不断发展的核心。
PLAT Studio: Nestled between Shanghai and Suzhou, Kunshan is a rapidly developing county-level city. The recent influx of industry workers and residents, drawn to the newly flourishing tech district of Kunshan West, has created a need for conscious inclusion of green infrastructure to support the district’s core as it continues to grow.
昆山是典型的江苏南部城市，历史上昆山的活动以遍布城市的运河网络为中心，这种生活方式源于人们对水的连接和依赖。现代发展已经将重点从运河转移到了高速公路上，将车辆的便利性置于行人体验之上。虽然昆山西部拥有广阔的水资源和开放空间资源，但落后的基础设施加上快速发展，使得这些自然资源未得到充分利用和忽视。
Typical of cities in southern Jiangsu, activity in Kunshan historically centered around the network of canals that permeated the city–a lifestyle emanating from people’s connection to and dependency upon water. Modern development has since shifted the emphasis from canals to highways, prioritizing vehicular convenience over the pedestrian experience. While Kunshan West is blessed with expansive water and open space resources, poor infrastructure in combination with rapid development have left these natural resources underutilized and neglected.
Forest Park, a large 163 hectare area of forested wetland, has the capacity to act as an ecological and recreational anchor for the region. The park falls within the Miaojing River watershed, a historically preserved drinking water aqueduct resource connecting Kuilei Lake and Kunshan’s Old Town.
x
虽然森林公园被指定为当地居民的休闲休憩空间，但其原有的条件造成了两个层次的不可接近性。第一，森林公园内植被茂密，被忽视。第二，公园周边被私人开发项目所包围，几乎没有可进入的入口，以至于公园的西侧边缘成为居民与公园设施之间的屏障。
Although designated as a recreational open space for local residents, Forest Park’s pre-existing condition posed of two levels of inaccessibility. One, vegetation within Forest Park was densely overgrown and neglected. Two, the perimeter of the park is surrounded by private developments with few accessible entry points, to the extent that its western edge acted as a barrier between residents and the park’s amenities.
In order to reconnect Forest Park with its surrounding neighborhoods, design strategies addressing accessibility, ecology, and culture were necessary to transform the park into a district destination that is valued as both an ecological and recreational resource.
x
该设计框架通过在西部边界提供一个新的入口点，打破森林公园现有的障碍，解决了无障碍性问题。西侧入口是一个重要的门户节点，引导游客进入配有社交和户外活动设施的休闲广场。沿着西池塘，圆形剧场、游客中心和咖啡馆充分利用了风景如画的水景，通过水生植物和遮掩周围发展的天际线的树木屏障，得到了增强。西侧入口也是游客探索森林公园内步道和木板路网络的出发点。这些内部通道穿过从湿地到森林的各种和平和自然栖息地。木材木板路蜿蜒穿过各种水生植物和芦苇床，而坚硬的人行道蜿蜒穿过五颜六色的落叶树。这些步行路线连接到邻近奎莱湖的自行车道系统，形成“西环路”：一个活跃的、面向社区的滨水公园。
The design framework addresses accessibility by providing a new entry point on the western border, puncturing the existing barrier into Forest park. The West Entry is a vital gateway node that leads visitors into a recreational plaza fitted with amenities for social and active outdoor gatherings. Along the West Pond, the amphitheater, visitor center, and cafe take advantage of picturesque views of the water, enhanced by aquatic planting and screens of trees that mask the skyline of surrounding developments. The West Entry also serves as a departure point from which visitors can explore the network of trails and boardwalks within Forest Park. These internal pathways traverse a variety of peaceful and natural habitats, ranging from wetlands to forests. Timber boardwalks zigzag through diverse aquatic planting and beds of reeds, while hard paved footways meander through colorful deciduous trees. These pedestrian routes connect to the bike trail system of the neighboring Kuilei Lake, forming the “West Loop”: an active and community-oriented waterfront park.
x
森林公园的绿色基础设施战略旨在通过利用其庞大的过滤湿地网络改善整个地区的水质。通过水生芦苇种植和水泵系统的组合，森林公园过滤来自邻近城市发展的雨水径流，并将其作为清洁水返回下游，靠近该地区南部边缘。Bioswales和装饰性湿地支持公园的机械基础设施，减轻城市雨水管的压力，并创造一个更健康的水文系统，将公园的水基础设施与周围的城市环境相结合。
The green infrastructure strategy of Forest Park aims to improve water quality district-wide by utilizing its vast network of filtrating wetlands. Through a combination of aquatic reed planting and a water pump system, Forest Park filters storm-water runoff from adjacent urban developments and returns it as clean water downstream, near the southern edge of the district. Bioswales and ornamental wetlands support the park’s mechanic infrastructure, mitigating pressure on urban storm sewers and creating a healthier hydrological system that integrates the parks’ water infrastructure into the surrounding urban context.
The planting palette hosts a wide variety of flora and fauna to foster a high level of biodiversity within the park, while providing an immersive experience for visitors that is both visually pleasing and educationally enriching.
西侧入口作为一个活跃的文化空间，提供便利设施，鼓励当地社区聚集。昆山西部的居民喜欢将休闲广场用作慢跑、练习太极、家庭聚会和社交活动的场所。咖啡馆和游客中心为居民提供服务，帮助他们探索周围的自然环境。
The West Entry functions as an active cultural space by providing access to amenities that encourage the local community to gather. Residents of Kunshan West enjoy using the recreational plaza as place to jog, practice Tai Chi, and meet for family and social functions. The cafe and visitor’s center service residents as they venture out to explore the surrounding natural environment.
x
The cultural identity of the West Entry is carried through the park via the Lotus Walk, a wetland boardwalk that brings visitors in direct contact with nature. The trail moves through swathes of wetland planting and offers peaceful rest areas to sit and engage with the natural beauty of the park.
森林公园西入口设计于2016年完工，其成功体现在西部边界每天的繁忙活动中，游客可以在木板路上钓鱼，在茂盛的植物中漫步，并在西池塘边用餐。森林公园已成为昆山西部不可或缺的景观基础设施，支持不断增长的人口和地区发展，通过高效的可达性、丰富的生态和动态休闲设施满足社区的需求。
Completed in 2016, the success of Forest Park’s West Entry design is evident in the daily bustling activity along the western border, where visitors can be seen fishing on boardwalks, strolling through the lush planting, and dining by the West Pond. Forest Park has become indispensable landscape infrastructure for Kunshan West that supports the growing population and district development, fulfilling the needs of the community through efficient accessibility, abundant ecology, and dynamic recreational amenities.
x
x
Short office name: PLAT Studio
Role of the office in the project: Landscape Architect
Website: platstudio.net
Other designers involved in the design of landscape: E2 Design Lab, Australia (Water Management)
Project location: Yuan Shi Lu, Kunshan Shi, Jiangsu Sheng China 215301
Design year: 2014
Year Built: 2016
