Pingshan Children’s Park wins ASLA-NCC design award

Pingshan Children’s Park, a popular park in Pingshan District, recently won the Honor Award of the 2024 Design Awards hosted by the ASLA-NCC in the U.S.

Located to the north of Maluan Mountain, the park encourages residents to get close to nature, embodying the core principles of natural ecology, natural play and natural education. Since its opening May 31, 2022, the park has garnered accolades such as the Urban Design Silver Award of the 2023 Shenzhen Design Week’s Global Design Awards and the LA Landscape Architecture Awards earlier this year.

Children play at Pingshan Children’s Park. File photos

Due to Pingshan’s abundant ecological treasures, the park harmoniously integrates the original topography, preserving the rugged mountain landscape and embracing a diverse range of flora. Elevated walkways have been meticulously crafted to safeguard mountain terrain integrity, while organic elements such as rocks and fallen tree logs serve as construction materials.

The sprawling 11,000-square-meter litchi forest has been thoughtfully preserved and transformed into a serene oasis for locals to unwind. Leveraging the natural terrain, the park boasts rain gardens, wetlands, and dry streams that effectively manage rainwater while fostering biodiversity.

An aerial view of Pingshan Children’s Park.

To connect children with nature, the park offers an array of unpowered recreational facilities across various mountain terrains. The “Kids Only” rooftop garden, a cozy reading room and a spectrum of community events provide youngsters and citizens alike with a multifaceted hub for daily leisure and nature-centric education.

The park project’s statement on the ASLA-NCC website says that the park has redefined urban natural playground design and construction paradigms and has become a case study for preserving natural open spaces in China’s rapidly growing urban areas.

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) is a U.S. professional organization representing 17,000 landscape architects. With 48 state and regional chapters under its wing, the ASLA-NCC — part of four chapters representing California — plays a pivotal role in recognizing and celebrating exceptional design achievements across the landscape architecture spectrum.

A glance at Pingshan Children’s Park.