Red Bridge Park in Guangming: winner of the WAF China 2020 Best Landscape Design

On December 1st, 2020, Red Bridge Park in Guangming District won the “Best Landscape Design Award” at the 2020 World Architecture Festival China (short for 2020 WAF China). Over 100 design companies from all over the world and nearly 300 designers in the fields of architectural design, interior design and landscape design,have attended the award ceremony.They shared their most cutting-edge design ideas together. World Architecture Festival (WAF) is one of the largest and most prestigious international architecture awards ceremonies, known as the “Oscar of Architecture”. Red Bridge Park in Guangming District stand out as a winner at the WAF·China, which is inseparable from the advanced and innovative design concepts from the designers.

The Red Bridge Park (short for RBP) was designed by  the international landscape design team named LOLA from Netherlands. RBP is their first project in China.

The jury of WAF praised the award-winning proposal for adopting a highly attentive approach to the local ecology , which incorporates romantic techniques with realistic urban functions.

RBP is an innovative park which adapts to the constant evolution of sports, where people could constantly get close more to resilient nature. In RBP, an elevated red path provides multi-accesses to the forest. With steady soft slope connected with ramps and elevators, it provides visitors from all age groups a safe and easy way to visit the mountain. Let people enjoy the views of surrounding city of Guangming and immerse themselves in the dense forest. RBP forms a slow transition space between the city and the forest .

RBP located between Guangqiao road and Dadingling Greenway,covering about 600 hectares lands,which consists of three areas: the Entraland Area, the Bihu Area, and the Forest Area from west to east . The three areas are connected by a 4 km red elevated path. The red path starts from Guangming New Town Park in the west, goes across the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-speed Railway and Ganzhou-Shenzhen Railway, ends up with Dadingling Greenway in the east. There are 16 different forms of vertical transportation connections along the elevated bridge. Entrances and exits are located every 200 meters each, including vertical elevators, roof steps, circular ramps, spiral stairs, etc. At the peak of Bihu Area and the end of Dadingling Greenway, two 35-meter-high sightseeing towers, the Panorama Tower and the Ending Tower are set up for tourists to overlook the natural scenery of Bihu, Dadingling and the skyline of Guangming District. Relying on the superior ecological base of RBP and Dadingling, it fully simulates the natural vitality of Guangming district and provides a favorable guarantee for the construction of ecological and healthy town.

The entrance plaza of Red Bridge Park

The entrance plaza of RBP is mainly designed with artistic terrazzo floor, which serves as a link between the city and the forest, shaded by an array of trees. The Tourist Service Center covers an area of 548 square meters, extending from the Red Bridge to the square. Visitors can take a rest on the large roof steps while watching the crowds in the skateboard pool and the children playing in the sand pool. They can play basketball, volleyball, badminton, gate ball, chess and skateboarding in the square.

Future planning picture of RBP

As a new cradle of ecology and sports, the park never stop self-renewing

Guangming will build a sport-themed Bihu District in the future. The construction of Bihu Loop will be carried out in 2021 during the second phase named as LAKE OF CHAMPIONS. Five stadiums and a sports R&D center, will provide various sports areas for all ages. Red Bridge Park is known as a new cradle of ecology and sports, a park that never stop self -renewing. It adapts to the industrial transformation zone of Guangming science city, which creates a “Wisdom Sharing Valley” ,rich in ecological connotation, technological and cultural atmosphere with the concept of “cradle of the forest”.

One of the most popular attractions during the 2021 Spring Festival in China

Red Bridge Park has received over 490,000 tourists during the seven-days Spring Festival holiday from Feb 11th to 17th, according to statistics from the local Cultural and Tourism Bureau. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a large number of people chose to stay in Shenzhen instead of returning hometown to reduce the risks of spreading the virus. Guangming had an exploded growth in consumption of local tourism, including the Red Bridge Park and Guangming Fun Farm during the holiday. RBP has become one of the most popular attractions during the Spring Festival in China, with visitors from all ages and groups.

Guangming District government has launched a series of preferential policies this year, including free admission to the scenic attractions to encourage non-local workers to stay in the city for the holiday. Tourists attractions strengthened their COVID-19 epidemic control and prevention measures during the holiday. The number of visitors to scenic areas was limited to less than 75 percent as the maximum capacity. Visitors had to show their health codes, wear masks, and accept temperature measurement for entering.During the tour, visitors need to maintain a safe distance from each other.