Architecture News Plus (ANP) – Architecture and Design Magazine

Sai Van Park

This is a project by VLB Arquitectura e Planeamento and it is located at Avenida Panorâmica do Lago Sai Van, Macau. Project's program: Landscaping for bridge access areas. There are fourteen images for Sai Van Park.

: © Carlotta Bruni

Project details

Project name: Sai Van Park
Location: Avenida Panorâmica do Lago Sai Van, Macau
Program: Landscaping for bridge access areas
Year: Design: 2003-2004 • Construction: 2004
Client: GDI - Gabinete para o Desenvolvimento de Infraestruturas
Project by: VLB Arquitectura e Planeamento
Team: Princiapl Designers: Manuel Vicente, Carlotta Bruni, Rui Leão • Colaborators: Helena Alcoforado Gomes, Fok Cheng Io
Others: Contractor: Tak Fat Ltd. • Structure Consultant: Profabril Asiaconsultores Lda • E&M Consultant: Tecproeng Macau - Técnica Projectos de Engenharia Lda • Landscaping: Circle & Square Import Export Trading Ltd.

Project images

Designer's statement

The face of Macau has undergone profound transformations in the past years, due in part to the successive waves of reclamation required to cater for the pulsations of development. The place prior to the project was organized mainly by flyovers and road access to the new cross river bridge that defined leftover islands isolated by traffic and a casual monument derived by the insertion of the 3rd bridge over the existing causeway.

The landscaping project for the 3rd Macau-Taipa Bridge access areas grabs the opportunity to research new urbanities in a contemporary way. From the existing islands the new park invents a network of movements and scenarios for pedestrian and ludic use, and by rotating/tilting these pieces of landscape towards the water on both sides (river and lake), and away from the vehicular thoroughfares at the central axis, a sense of purpose and visual fruition is achieved for an otherwise hostile leftover terrain. The flyovers with its inevitable presence are incorporated into the project as porticos that bring rhythm to the city vistas and water planes.

The project transforms a residual area into a place that permits an urban and natural interactive experience. In a place so characterized by lack of land resources, transforming a no-place into a qualified human environment is a significant achievement for Architecture.

Awards:

Honour of excellence at the ARCASIA 2009-2010 Architecture Awards.