The Silvertown Quays development is a dense mixed used commercial, office and residential redevelopment surrounding the former Pontoon Dock adjacent to Royal Victoria Dock.  Historically the Royal Docks have been a gateway between London and its global markets. When the docks were closed for industrial purposes in the 1980s, the area lost its economic rationale. The urban landscape became blighted by large chunks of vacant brown fields, with poor access, dereliction and contamination. Existing and new community developments were isolated, fractured and economically deprived.
 
To redefine the eastern docklands, not as somewhere at the edge of London but as a new piece of the city, with its own centre of gravity and with a clear identity of its own, West 8, in the role of landscape architect and urban designer, joined the team led by lead masterplanner Fletcher Priest Architects, to revive the vitality with a 25ha. vibrant urban quarter. The area, will consist of 3000 new homes, cultural premises, offices and high-end branding and retail.

The team intends to transform the site into a world-class business centre: a world-leader in high technology, green enterprise and research and an international forum for the exchange of knowledge and ideas. The waterfront site is envisaged as a hub of activity and a thriving leisure destination for Londoners and visitors alike. 

The landscape strategy includes the establishment of a range of focal districts, linked by key open spaces at the junction of main routes and streets. New iconic public spaces include squares, parks, plazas, the Dock and the waterfront promenade.  Also various smaller public spaces, all situated at strategically arranged positions, help define the new urban experience and create a sense of place and act as lively junctions for users of the variously programmed surrounding development blocks.

For more details please see also the official website of the project here.

Duke University’s 8000-acre campus is renowned on many levels—its breathtaking neo-gothic architecture, the Olmsted brothers’ splendid landscape plan, and an edenic setting within the greater matrix of the Duke Forest. Campus life shifts between East and West, with the Olmsted Brothers’ designed Campus Drive as the meandering link between.

In 2015, West 8 was commissioned to envision a world-class sculpture park set amidst the 140 acres of beautiful creeks, valleys and forests that unites Duke’s two campuses and borders Campus Drive.

At the heart of the Sculpture Park lies the Nasher Museum of Art, a world-class art museum on the Hilltop. The design vision utilizes the building’s interior courtyard and five gallery layout to great effect—the five glazed corners of the atrium are transformed into gracious entrances into the museum for the first time. On the east side, a new, undulating slope is created in place of firelanes and parking. Whimsical pathways wind down the hillside or roll across the undulating slopes. This void carved out of the pine forest provides a new terrain for sculpture and a new vantage point on the museum. Outdated culverts below campus drive are replaced by timeless bridges and the three valleys are opened up to allow more functional stream ecology and the chance for students and visitors to traverse the landscape for the first time. From Sarah P. Duke Gardens to the west, stretching east along the Long Valley to the east, the Three Valleys Sculpture Park unites the heart of Duke’s Campus as an exciting new address for the arts within Duke’s Forest.

West 8’s completed vision plan defines the sculpture park’s extents, defining features such as an improved campus drive, Museum gardens and plazas, sculpture slope, valley walkways, and a logic for stitching the Park into the greater University Campus. This plan, “The Three Valleys: An Iconic Sculpture Park at Duke University” brings identity and conceptual vision to the hidden landscape that lies at the heart of Duke University’s Campus.

Building upon West 8's 20 year involvement in the master plan for Schiphol Airport, West 8 in collaboration with KCAP has been commissioned to develop a 5.3 ha parcel within Schiphol Trade Park, south-east of the airport. Entitled 'The Valley', this section is envisaged to become a circular hotspot where companies, institutions, universities and the government can collaborate, research and develop a circular economy in relation to products, services and organization.

West 8's master plan for “The Valley” is founded on progressive and circular assumptions. The landscape is designed as a testing ground for circular ideas products. The master plan is guided by four principles that ensure the direction and ambition of the facility continue to develop into the longer-term. These include:

A Positive Footprint
To strive for constant innovation and improvement in environmental performance measures like the recycling of greywater, enrichment of the poor sea clay soil, increasing biodiversity, and selecting plant species that purify the air are key components in creating a master plan with a positive footprint. To improve ecosystem management and health in the broadest sense, biodegradable or recyclable and non-toxic materials are selected for paving, lighting, furniture and underground infrastructure. 

Designing with Nature
Waste, is in fact nutrients that are part of a natural cyclical process. The cycle of the seasons shows the regenerative power of nature. Thus, the properties of the soil, climate and water resources in the Haarlemmermeer polder form a decisive starting point for the landscape design and planting palette, which includes rain gardens, advanced carbon sequestration and bio-fuel research.

Other SUSTAINABLE INITIATIVES include:

• 100% reliance on renewable energy;
• Sustainable water management with both rainwater and wastewater;
• Designing the landscape to optimize all forms of clean transport (e.g. walking, cycling, and electric vehicles)
• Provision of a high-quality data network
• Supporting and encouraging surrounding sustainability initiatives.
• Creating economic growth at local and regional levels.
• Contributing to an inclusive society.

An Iterative Design Process
The area around “the Valley” will be developed in phases over the next 15 years. During this period the intention is to continuously improve and innovate. This requires an iterative design process that has unsurpassed excellence as the ultimate ambition. Big data from completed phases are evaluated against the vision plan and will provide far greater accuracy for the forthcoming design phases. Relevant data can be extrapolated and informed design decisions made regarding efficient development of the design in future phases of the project.

An Inspiring Environment
“The Valley” is envisaged as a place that revolves around collaboration, communication, discovery, innovation, development and production. Both the buildings and the landscape are tailor-made to accommodate and encourage the experimentation and flexibility.

The project is currently under development.

More Moss Park is envisaged as a frame of public program elements (building, landscape, and art) surrounding an open public ‘common’. The revitalized park will not only provide new recreational opportunities, but more importantly, a flexible, inclusive and timeless park for everyone.

Suitable for the specific urban context, More Moss Park recognizes the site's important connection to Allan Gardens to the north. The park redesign places programming along the edges, with sports activities along Sherbourne Street, a promenade along Queen Street East and family facilities like a splash pad and playgrounds along Shuter Street. These three edges are activated with plenty of inhabitable thresholds between city and park, while the western edge is held by the new community centre that can open directly onto the park.

This proposal recognizes the heritage of the site, both through a non-literal reinstatement of  ‘lost’ topography from the time of Toronto’s founding — but also reinterpreting the longstanding tradition of this site as a host to community. Furthermore approximately half of existing trees will be preserved and integrated to the improved urban canopy. 

There are many user groups and multiple active recreation desires for the park. The open commons in the centre of the park can accommodate a little league baseball game with informal spectator seating all-around, a large concert, or festivals, informal sports, community events, and more.

There are currently many desire lines across the park, but rather than simply solving a problem of linking point A to point B, this more nuanced, escapist design with wandering circulation provides a respite from the city grid and maximizes encounters between users.  The park is also organized to have an iconic feature (an elevated pathway) oriented to provide a meeting point in the park, and a viewing point to the growing Toronto Skyline.

More Moss Park will be dedicated to providing inclusive recreational space and programs, responsive to the needs of the local community, including vulnerable and at risk communities, while advancing LGBTQ inclusion in sport and recreation. Moss Park would be a transformative moment for the City of Toronto.

At Place Gambetta two worlds overlap. Amid this city of stone is a garden that provides an escape from the urban condition. This quintessential 18th century English garden provides a welcome breath of fresh air and generous shade canopy for visitors and residents alike. Nowhere in Bordeaux is the dialogue between architecture and nature so strong. This hidden space is truly unique and West 8’s winning design vision seeks to celebrate this.

Unfortunately the arrival of the 20th century created a separation between the garden and the urban fabric that it. Wide roads and heavy traffic overwhelm the subtle narrative of the landscape. The garden has become an island adrift from the walls, surrounded by a constant stream of traffic. West 8’s design proposal reorganizes traffic to one side, improving accessibility and establishing a more urban atmosphere on the eastern periphery, which sees the garden embrace the rhythm of the street.

The staging of this public space is designed as a play between the urban rhythm and the architectural rigor of the facades, (which have been extended along the newly paved edge) and the picturesque garden, with its reference to its English past, informal pathways and monumental magnolia trees that add seasonality to the square.

The revitalized garden is an exotic landscape of winding paths set amongst majestic trees. The paths form a connecting loop from various entrances, to the large lawn at the center of the garden. A dappled canopy of trees frame the garden, act as a buffer against traffic noise, enrich visual sightlines particularly in relation to the historic façades, which form a background to the composition and experience of the garden.

Located in the heart of London city, Twenty Two Bishopsgate will deliver a new standard of workplace; one designed for local and global occupiers and adaptable to their future business needs. Twenty Two Bishopsgate will be a new Vertical Village campus embracing the way people want to work, and reflecting the City’s ever changing consumer base.

As the Project Landscape Architect, West 8’s design vision for the surrounding public realm seeks to provide continuity within public domain, unifying the site with its surrounding context, creating an iconic destination, and respecting view lines to some of London’s most treasured icons.

Great public spaces are determined by the quality of the public realm, but also by the activation of the site with new cultural programs, activity, and a mix of uses on the ground floor. 22 Bishopsgate offers 100,000sqft of amenity space, and an improved public realm design, which features a series of public areas of various sizes and scales.

From the outset West 8 was tasked with addressing two contrasting areas – the noisy, bustling Bishopsgate and the quiet but undefined Undershaft. At Bishopsgate, West 8’s design vision supports the street’s primary function as a thoroughfare, moving large quantities of vehicular and pedestrian traffic north and south along the city’s main artery. By recessing the building entrances the design gives space to pedestrians, adding a row of trees to provide a breath of fresh air without interrupting the flow of people.

The Undershaft, which has been developed in concert with the city and adjacent properties, offers shelter from the prevailing winds, and creates a tranquil space for local workers. This notion of tranquillity is further reinforced by an off-site consolidation centre which manages deliveries, thereby reducing the number of vehicles coming to site. Further the creation of a new passageway through the base of the tower connects these two sites and replicates the long standing city tradition of small, intuitive alleyways and routes. Providing a stage for a series of new public art commissions that will act as a backdrop for the building’s front door.

Lastly a raised plaza in Crosby Square will act as vantage point and natural gathering space, fully accessible by means of a public staircase, it has a multitude of potential uses. It will become a place for people to meet and relax; to sit and eat lunch; or a venue for a public events. By extending the usage of traditional Yorkstone pavement slabs and granite kerbs, the ground level will blend into the urban tissue of the city.

In line with the City’s Long term Strategic Vision plan for the Eastern Cluster the new streetscape prioritizes pedestrians and cyclists, has a dominant sustainability agenda, and improves public transport connections. The planting of a dozen trees along the street profile provides a coherent planting strategy for the site, in coordination with hard landscape provisions.

Kijkduin-Bad (which literally translates as: Outlook-Dune’s Swimming-Beach) is located along the Dutch seashore. It is the second seaside resort of The Hague, located about 8 kilometers south of its big brother Scheveningen. Kijkduin-Bad is a popular family destination, although the need of a facelift for the resort has been felt for long. Asphalt and cars dominate the public space and capital investments were postponed several times over the last few years.

The first outlines of the plans for a revitalization of Kijkduin, which were initiated in 2008, are now quickly taking shape. The city council of The Hague has asked West 8 to design a vision for the public space that carefully integrates several multifunctional real estate developments into a renewed public realm. Kijkduin-Bad will be enriched with more sand and beach grass, a ‘Balcony at Sea’, a new lively promenade and easier and safer traffic flows. Central to the vision for Kijkduin’s public space is the return of the Dutch dunes landscape. This creates awareness of the proximity to the sea and reinforces the traditional Dutch coastal experience.

Located along the seaside boulevard the existing Atlantic hotel will be renovated and enlarged (design by INBO) and the retail centre completely renewed and extended (design by KOW). A total of approximately 650 new dwellings are planned for the entire village. To reinforce the identity of Kijkduin as a small coastal settlement West 8 has emphasized aspects like intimacy, seclusion and shelter.

West 8’s vision takes a set of six basic principles into account:

• Kijkduin Bad functions primarily as a dune crossing point that allows comfortable entrance to the beach for all users;
• A height increase of the boulevard to 16,5 meters + N.A.P. (Amsterdam Ordnance Datum) is necessary. The boulevard features a high quality design and should be accessible for everyone;
• Height differences do not cause fragmentation in the area;
• Natural qualities remain intact. The area functions as a natural habitat and ecological connecting zone;
• The public space design solves as many spatial issues in one plan as is possible.

With a series of solutions, West 8 has managed to create a vision that unifies all these principles into one clear design in which buildings and public space are well-integrated.
The Balcony at Sea on the Delta Plaza will become the central point of Kijkduin-Bad. The balcony is located on top of the dune between the new shopping area and the Atlantic Hotel. The choice for construction of new dunes was made for two reasons: they naturally solve the height differences in the area and simultaneously connect Kijkduin with the surrounding natural and coastal context. From here, beachgoers can enjoy themselves along a 250 meter stretching promenade complete with restaurants and terraces.

The main entrance route to Kijkduin, the Kijkduinsestraat, is designed as a gateway towards the sea. The existing Deltastraat is part of the coastal green belt and will be adorned with sand and beach grass. Several passageways connect the courtyards inside the new shopping area with the Delta Square and the Boulevard. The entrances to the upstairs apartments are also located within this shopping area.

Visitors and residents of Kijkduin-Bad will be able to park their cars and bicycles completely out of sight under the shopping center and Deltaplein, creating plenty of space for pedestrians. The entrance to the underground car park will be located in the median strip of the Kijkduinsestraat. With the streamlining of the infrastructure, new space will be created for improvements to the long-distance cycle route along the Dutch coast. The vision fits seamlessly with the ‘Healthy Coast’, the investment program for Scheveningen-Bad region.

The children's playground in New Holland is one of the new main attractions of the island. Designed by West 8 in collaboration with Richter Spielgerate GmbH /AFA Alexander Frontov and Architects, this playground is meant for children of all ages.

This one-of-a-kind playground has been modeled after the hull of the frigate ship The Petr and Pavel, built at 80% of the original scale and measuring 26 meters long and 6 meters high. The original ship was built by Peter the Great himself in Holland. This ship has been outfitted in keeping with the traditions of Russia's master shipbuilders. The interior space is divided into several levels of play spaces, each in accordance with all the standard safety measures. Here the island's littlest visitors will find themselves as proper sailors amid slides, ropes, canons, telescopes and steering wheels – all elements that immerse them directly into the history of the island and its founder, Peter the Great.

Next to this playground is a small shalter designed to allow parents to comfortably keep an eye on their children as they play.

The S. Pellegrino brand identity is deeply rooted in its origin in the San Pellegrino Terme: from the majestic nature, purity of the source and historical heritage, to the century-long development of craft and Italian way of life. As such, the new S. Pellegrino Flagship Factory should not be a radical superposition of new messages or foreign elements, but rather an enhancement and elevatation of the qualities that are already abundant in and around the river valley. BIG proposes an architecture that offers a fresh take on an ancient wisdom, revisiting the classic elements of Italian architecture and urbanism: the arcade, the viale, the piazza and the portico create an architectural environment where production and consumption, nature and architecture, outside and inside, and making and enjoying are integrated to elevate the experience for visitors as well as S.Pellegrino staff. West 8 has collaborated on the landscape component of the design. 

Framed by the river valley and mountains on either sides, employees and visitors will feel immersed in nature from all directions, with abundant views to the flowing river, the forested slopes, the snowy summits and the clear skies. At the heart of the arrival, a new landmark rises in the form of an artistic interpretation of the 30-year journey that the water travels from the mountain’s snowy summit to the spring at its foot. A core sample of the mountain includes the different strata of rock and water at all its stages, turning natural processes into an artistic spectacle that reminds everyone of the wonders of water.

Mobilizing the timeless elements such as the arc – the most materially efficient and structurally elegant way to span across large spaces for production, exhibitions and events – and the arcade – the idea that you can create character and articulation through repetition and variation – the architecture of the Factory and Experience Lab has a timeless aura around it. Combining the modular architecture of the Factory with the repetitive elements of Italian Classicism and Rationalism, the space is sculpted by expanding and contracting the span of the arches. Like the aquatic equivalent of a wine cellar, the architecture of the Factory and Experience Lab feels both familiar and fresh; it is firmly rooted in heritage yet evolves into the future.

This design for a new intake pumping station at the river Bergsche Maas provides an answer to the question how to incorporate civil engineering structures into the Dutch landscape in a contemporary and meaningful way. West 8's work connects three values: the story of water collection, the characteristics of the watery landscape of the Biesbosch and the ambition to omit disturbing fencing while maintaining a high level of safety for visitors and staff.

Whirlpool: natural icon for water collection

The station pumps water from the Bergsche Maas to three nearby reservoirs that form the life line of the water supply for millions of Dutch families and businesses. By introducing a real whirlpool on one side of the river, the dynamics of this massive water displacement and the story of the water extraction are immediately recognizable. It is a natural icon in itself and a potential branding opportunity for the water company. A narrow steel scaffolding offers the public a safe view of the whirlpool.

Mound, recognizable landscape element

The pumping station is located in the Biesbosch National Park, a wetland of tidal creeks and tidal willow forests. The many dykes and ‘terpen’, traditional Dutch mounds, are visual icons. Long sightlines turn the vast dike contours into dominant landscape characteristics. The design keeps the dike along the Bergsche Maas intact. The pumping station is located within a newly raised mound. The grassy slopes makes the design fit seamlessly into the phenomenal river landscape.

Safety without fences

An important part of the pumping station is the trash rake cleaner. Moving it downwards into the mound keeps a major security risk away from the public. As a result, above-ground, aesthetically disturbing fences can be omitted. This provides an essential contribution to spatial quality.

Minimal, location sensitive materials

The landward oriented wall of the pumping station is clad with river clay brick with an iridescent glaze in Tichelaar Makkum style, which subtly changes the color of the facade as the sunlight changes throughout the day.

A single fence protects visitors who want to admire the view from the top of the mound. The coating is made from genuine bronze particles, a technique West 8 previously used in the design of the Noordwaard bridges. 

The typical Dutch ‘grass concrete’ tiles minimize the visual impact of the access roads and parking facilities on the landscape. Special granulates encourage the growth of grasses and mosses.

MAXXI Museum has curated a new exhibition, The Place To Be. An extensive exhibit of the permanent collection of Rome's MAXXI Museum, which opens in May 2017.

Building on from two previous Stolen Paradise installations, West 8 has been invited to create a final piece to complete the Stolen Paradise trilogy. The third artwork is entitled Eve.

The site specific art installation, Stolen Paradise by West 8, is now composed of three pieces. Closely interconnected with each other through their materiality, the works allude to the recovered Paradise of Eden, a place where the illusion of nature and the image of a surrealistic world provoke questions about both the present and the future of our ever-growing cities.

The first two installation objects were previously designed and displayed in 2010, as part of the second chapter of the NATURE exhibition at the MAXXI Museum.

West 8's final piece: Eve, is a sinuous Carrara Marble sculpture. The 1.5m oval form symbolizes fertility. Lying on its belly it rests at the entrance of the exhibition 'Place To Be'. Eve is surrounded by a floating transparent forest of ghostly trees made of biopolymer fabric, an installation built to convey the poetic illusion that triggers new mindsets, prompts new expectations and encapulates the delicate movement of shadows.

Eve also forms a sensuous counterpart to the other part of the Stolen Paradise: the tree stump silhouettes of rusted Corten steel which have been rooted in the museum courtyard since 2010 - a homage to natural resources that are stolen from their context and are reappropriated into cultural life.

This trilogy is a reflection on humanity from the perspective of a "recovered paradise of Eden". Through the lyrical virgin forest of ghost trees, Eve appears in all her tactility, ephemerality and sinuosity. She becomes the protagonist of the scene, the woman who catalyzes the real world, by biting the forbidden fruit. A homage to the role of women, Eve evokes a memory of humanity’s origins and recalls the beauty of the ancient ideal of the paradisiacal Eden.

By lying upon, sitting, standing and touching Eve, visitors have the chance to fall back into the Stolen Paradise, a world of perfection and illusion where everyone longs to get lost into...even if for just a moment.

The Stolen Paradise is a project about narrative and reality – male and female, inside and outside, transparency and shadows, smoothness and roughness, openness and enclosure, natural and artificial.

The Soestdijk Palace offers all kinds of opportunities for business activities, public or private. The visiting public will also have an opportunity to view the Palace and the Park while exploring current themes. In the various wings of the Palace, there will be a constantly changing series of presentations of varying length by companies and knowledge institutions. In the ‘Proeftuin’ (Experimental Garden), historic buildings, including the sports pavilion, the playhouse, the water tower, the chalet and the ice cellar, together with several new temporary follies, will form visually attractive and interactive components of MADE BY HOLLAND.

As well as in the Palace and the Orangery, various food & beverage formats will feature on the other side of the Amsterdamsestraatweg road (the Parade), including in the Royal Stables. They will range from coffee bar to sunny terrace to brasserie: all in a state-of-the-art setting, in line with the all-embracing concept. Where possible, vegetables, fruit, eggs and other produce will be sourced from the estate’s own orchards and gardens.

In the monuments in the Parade and upstairs in the Palace, it will be possible to enjoy an overnight stay fit for a king.

The ever-changing programme will ensure continual renewal, featuring music, dance, drama, film and photography. Leading international players have expressed a willingness to be included in the Landgoed Soestdijk programme as part of our concept, in the Park and on the Parade.

Much of the estate is now a private woodland area. We intend to completely open this up for leisure users. The result will be an interactive blend of indoors and outdoors, ensuring MADE BY HOLLAND can attract a wide and varied group of visitors. Research has clearly demonstrated the great potential for visitors and the fact that there is widespread support for MADE BY HOLLAND.

Paleis Soestdijk - MADE BY HOLLAND from West 8 on Vimeo.

Paleis Soestdijk-West 8-medium from West 8 on Vimeo.

New worlds are not built, they emerge

The exact details of the programme will be developed gradually, in line with the tried-and-tested strategy used for the Westergasfabriek. A key principle of the project will be its focus on the temporary and on experimentation. The ultimate details will emerge in alliance with the parties that commit to MADE BY HOLLAND.

The central focus on the innovation and excellence of the Netherlands will always be respected and upheld. This will be guaranteed by a Programming Council and Advisory Council. In developing MADE BY HOLLAND, we are making a long-term commitment. This is because we are only too aware that careful redevelopment takes time. Firm foundations must be established in order to ensure continuity.

With our plan, a new world will emerge on historic land at Landgoed Soestdijk, offering a unique programme in an extraordinary place, for a highly varied public.

Located in the heart of Moscow, at the beginning of Tverskaya-Yamskaya street, Tverskaya Zastava square regularly meets guests arriving in Moscow. The territory of the square is included in the protected zone of cultural heritage sites, individual buildings have received the status of monuments. Led by Adriaan Geuze, West 8 team has been working with Strelka KB to revitalize the Tverskaya Zastava Square and surrounding area since the end of 2016. The tasks of improving the square included: to separate and redefine traffic flows according to their types and speed, to regulate parking to its maximum logic and to bring back the area to its designated function as a station square. Until now, the area has been a complex and unregulated transport junction with chaotic parking throughout the area. As explained by Geuze: "People who come to the Belarusian station cannot use the area properly. They parked their cars, but do not get the first proper impression of Moscow city. We needed to bring the territory back to this key function."

On the north side the square is framed by the Belarusian Railway Station, built at the beginning of the 20th century by architect Strukov. The concept by West 8, based on the recently updated transport scheme of the Moscow department, offers optimization of the use of space and gives priority to pedestrian connections. Square returns uniqueness and integrity.

The sidewalk connecting the Belorusskaya metro station and the station area with the park and the church square on the opposite side of the 1st Tverskaya-Yamskaya street will be framed with a special wide curbstone and a contrasting granite ornamentation pattern to reveal the face. Pattern inspired by the architecture of the historic facade of the station emphasizes the unity and purity of the sidewalk. The space for pedestrians will be expanded - it has been an unobstructed passage - along the whole area from the metro station to the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker through the station of the Belorussorgo railway station and the passage under the Overpass.

The former monument of Maxim Gorky will return to the park, located on a green island in the center of the square. It will be delicately surrounded by lime trees, giving a slight shadow on a hot summer day.

Landscaping of the area will be supplemented by additional planters located between the station buildings. From an previously abandoned wasteland at the side of Butyrsky Val Street turning into a cozy park area, this plan will be complimented with a pavilion, a tribute to traditional stand alone kiosk of Moscow city.

In conjunction with Expo 2000, Kronsberg was developed with a very diversified program comprising event areas and exhibition grounds alongside commercial and residential uses. To this day, Kronsberg has been popular for residential development due to its landscape park as backdrop. It boasts excellent accessibility, being well connected to key traffic routes and the wider road network. The project site at Kronsberg-Süd is regarded as the missing link between the former Expo site and the existing residential area at Kronsberg-Mitte.

West 8 in association with ASTOC Architects & Planners and SHP Ingenieure was commissioned in 2016 as the expert team for the urban planning of Kronsberg-Süd. Since then, the team, working closely with municipality and developer, has been taking on the task of shaping this new 53 ha. residential area with a design composed of the area’s unique location in the landscape, excellent accessibility, high energy-saving standards, exemplary rainwater management and diverse population mix.

Based on a concept of 'Living on the outskirts', the overarching design idea for the new residential quarter of approximately 3,500 units is characterized by the project area’s location on the south-eastern edge of the city, situated within a transition from the urban fabric to the open cultural landscape. The district is connected to the former exhibition ground at the east with the residential area Kronsberg-Mitte to the west. Because of its extensive size, Kronsberg-Süd is divided into three independent residential quarters, which allow for its gradual realization over time. Between the quarters lies a district park, stretching between the high ridge of the Kronsberg to the tram stops along Stockholmer Straße and Messe Ost. This district park together with the adjoining landscape form a continuous area of touchpoints of the residential buildings to the landscape at the Kronsberg.

The three districts consist of grouping of buildings around centrally located neighbourhood squares. These buildings consist of different types of dwellings, such as storey buildings and town houses with mixed housing typologies, aiming to create a diversity of social components. Where buildings are located at the edge of the district they orient inwards onto public spaces, similar to courtyard building typologies. These courtyard buildings surround public squares, which form the centres of individual quarters where social facilities and communal uses will be located, including six day-care centres and a primary school.

The traffic backbone of Kronsberg Süd is a main street parallel to the main tram line connecting the Kattenbrookstrift (Kronsberg Mitte) to the Lissaboner Allee (East trade fair). The main road also connects with Emmy-Noether-Allee, Stockholm-Allee and Milan's street. All three residential districts are opened towards the central main street.

Xinhua Waterfront Park is a subproject of Huangpu Waterfront Revitalization Masterplan begun by the Shanghai Municipal Government. It is also a key development of the Shanghai Shenjiang Liang'an Development Construction Investment Group. Under one of the five riverside themes of the masterplan, Xinhua Waterfront Park is situated in the cultural corridor section with the total area of ​​17 ha. It is east of historic Minsheng Port at the Huangpu River and west of the waterfront shipyard, connecting important city streets like Minsheng Road, Taolin Road, Yuanshen Road and Fushan Road. It is one of the key projects of Pujiang Cultural Highlands, anticipated to maximize the cultural and leisure experience for users.

Based on the approach: 'simple yet beautiful, relaxed and romantic', West 8 introduces four new major city squares in this 16 kilometer waterfront: Minsheng Cultural Square in the ferry terminal area; Harbour Square at the entrance of a yacht harbor with historic industrial architecture; Baizi Square(Hundred-Sons Square) with a alcove-form seating element intergrated with a retaining wall; and the Xinhua Square which connects Pudong's most important business area Dongfang Road, functioning as a key node.

West 8's design for Xinhua Waterfront Park will turn the east coast of Huangpu River to a integrated waterfront corridor with new city squares and waterfront public green space, complete with cycling tracks connecting to the city center. 

Here is a link to the WeChat account of official announcement online (only in Chinese). 

The poetic inspiration for the Novartis Campus lies in the beauty of the rural orchard, beholding a diverse array of colors, varied emotions, seasonality, textures, tastes and smells. The landscape nurtures notions of community, warmth and inventiveness, a union of places and spaces which culminate to a larger spirit and identity that sponsors creativity and pride within Novartis.

Embraced by the Sergison Bates and Diener + Diener Buildings, the Taxodium entrance area serves to welcome visitors and begins the story of Novartis’ optimism, ambition and practicality. The columnar forms of the noble trees interspersed with elongated lighting elements engender a very definitive sense of arrival. Planted as if the seeds were cast by the hand of nature, the arrival experience is reminiscent of a journey through the forest. The arrival loop is kept functionally simple, maintaining clear vehicular circulation and uncomplicated visitor parking. Taxodium, a drought, flood and typhoon tolerant tree that lives for thousands of years, is representative of Novartis’ durability and future thinking.

From here fastidiously placed flagstones of Blue Diabase direct people to a set of beautiful brass entry gates, spanning over eight meters and these statuesque gates form a gracefully gateway to the gardens beyond. Past the check-in area, the Hammock Grove provides a transitional garden as the antidote to the bustle of Shanghai. Vistas through the sun dappled grove hint to the inspiring architecture and colorful orchard ahead.

The larger Orchard Commons is a place defined by the rural beauty of a fruit orchard and the flexibility of a public commons. Inspired by the concept of life and its many cycles, the native fruit orchard represents conception, growth, change and wisdom. Seasonality of the plantings generates a continual visual and palatable interest as the fruits of the kumquat, tangerine, micro-apple and the Chinese plum trees ripen, perfect to be picked by the passerby. The stimulation of senses is perhaps the greatest muse of them all.

Situated within the fertile landscape of fruit trees and the fragrant sea of sweet osmanthus blossoms are two shade structures. Inspired by the traditional Chinese pavilion these informal spaces create a place for individuals or small groups to experience distinct and personal atmospheres. With rippled roofs of zinc plates the structures allude to the past while looking to the future, shading people from the heat of the sun and providing an oasis of cool. Inside custom designed movable outdoor furniture can be easily grouped together to create an atmosphere of collaboration and interchange.

Outside the microtopography is shaped to both allow flexible gathering for employees and complement the surrounding architecture. Fine-grain networks of interconnected pathways propose the most logical and direct routes between buildings. Paved with gold brick, this ancient material inscribes a passageway through vivid beds of azaleas. Amongst the undulating terrain is rock cluster seating and portable Song dynasty inspired hardwood stools and tables to further encourage inhabitation and interaction. From the private dining rooms of the cantee/multifunction building designed by Kengo Kuma framed views of a scenic garden with an oriental composition of pebbles, rocks and maple trees offer complete visual serenity.

At night, bespoke bollards and elegant lighting candelabras of Accoya, with sinuous Blue Diabase pedestals, Olivio luminaries and a custom designed transition element bathe the gardens and seating areas in warm light. Inviting people to linger around the granite tables or rest on the stone benches as they gaze at the soft haze of lush foliage. The gardens offer a place to wait for an appointment as a visitor, to interact with others contemplate on work and research or a chance to take a seat, take a breath and reflect on the day. The Novartis Campus is a landscape where architecture, the human spirit and the essence of nature harmoniously coalesce, in a productive and progressive environment.

The Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park is an 455 ha. industrial neighbourhood established in 1992 in the Pudong district of Shanghai, China. It is operated by Chinese national enterprise Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park Development Company and nicknamed: ‘China’s Silicon Valley’. The park is currently serving 110 research and development institutes, 3600 enterprises and more than 100,000 commuters specialised in research of life sciences, software, semiconductors, and information technology.

With the influx of enormous number of highly qualified technological and scientific talents in recent years, the dated mono-functional industrial urban development of the 20th century has proven inadequate to meet the needs of the current newer generation of Zhangjiang disctrict commuters. A work-life balance quality life style has become highly demanded by the growing numbers of skilled professionals.

In this conjunction, the Municipality of Shanghai launched in 2016 a urban revitalisation framework and announced the Zhiangjinag Innovative Park Revitalisation Strategy, aiming for an ultimate urban transformation and landscape upgrade in Zhangjiang Hi-Teach Park. In fall 2016, West 8 has been appointed to design the first revitalisation area which will focus on the Northwest area, the earliest developed district of Zhangjiang Hi-Teach Park.

By introducing higher density and urban diversification with a densified traffic network and street profiles, West 8's new urban design master plan aims to enhance the urban identity of specific areas and maximises the urban public space for the higher quality. It creates a pleasent environment fostering interaction between users and enhances the visual openness of the area. The design strategy is focusing on three main aspects:

• Zuchongzhi Road identified as the commercial axis and key urban public space;
• Using the 'green frame’ strategy to further stimulate the urban structural upgrade development
• Improvement on circulation to activate a urban green space network in an sustainable approach;

Following up this master plan conceptual design, the project has entered the Phase 2 development: Zhangjiang Innopark, an innovative public park derived from the Phase 1 development area, located at the Western end of Zuchongzhi Road. It is being identified as a catalyst to forster further re-developments.

West 8 has started since early 2017 phase 2 of the development of Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park Northwest Area urban upgrade master plan: Zhangjiang Innopark. It is a 156 ha of public park within the 455 hectare of the revitalisation development conceptual master plan designed by West 8 in 2016.

West 8's design for Innopark uses the landscape and the pedestrian realm as frameworks for the neighborhood. By adopting a 'green frame’ strategy, it aims to function as a catalyst that fosters further re-development of its urban neighbourhood. 

The L-shape Innopark located at the Zuchongzhi Road of Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park will serve as a buffer zone adjoining the northern boundary of Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park. It provides an environmentally friendly pedestrian and cyclist circulation, a slow lane with excessive greenery. This ecological friendly integrated design will provide an open landscape for public enjoyment, at the same time, woven with strategic placed landmarks and local open space which form a common space shared by the community for diverse activities or seasonal events, providing users with different type of open green area for different relaxation. Vast area of the park surface is strategically designed to be covered by water. During the wet seasons, it will also serve as a flood retention pond.

This lineal park of natural recreational space with pedestrian friendly design will not only benefit the ecology of the area, it will also improve the social sustainability of the semi public zone along the adjesent buildings’ plinths, encouraging the organic growth of social inclusiveness of the area, breaking down the isolation of individually enclosed buildings in this area which are currently often bounded with high fenses and security check.

This new and vibrant public park will encourage people to congregate, enhance the landscape character and coverage of greenery of the area. In addition an extensive network of pedestrian walkways and cycle tracks will link up major activities nodes. They will serve to promote the sustainable life style in this urban area, dedicating to the improvement of living quality both in environmental terms and social inclusiveness.

Nepean Point and Major’s Hill Park lie less than a mile away from the heart of the city, but they feel a world away. Their sleepy atmosphere and remoteness are both an asset and an obstacle when the park is awoken by fireworks on Canada Day and thousands of people suddenly flock the area. To create Ottawa’s 21^st century park we firmly believe that this beautiful place needs an awakening that endures. A response that opens up Nepean Point to a new generation of visitors without eliminating the unique qualities that make it a magical place. Connecting Nepean Point with nearby Major's Hill Park is critical in announcing the park's presence, inviting a seamless entry for visitors accessible to all.

A meandering riverside path at the bottom of the Ottawa River escarpment connects the park to the city via the Rideau Canal and locks. At the upper level, a meandering 7m wide promenade begins at the foot of Major’s Hill Park bridging Confederation Boulevard before wrapping the escarpment to connect Nepean Point with Lady Grey Drive. This pedestrian and cyclist promenade also unveils the majestic landscape in which Nepean Point sits.The generous dimensions of the promenade will allow users to comfortably wander alongside one another. The simplicity of the promenade is augmented by a contemporary balustrade and lighting scheme that feeds into the site's narratives of art and culture referencing the nearby National Gallery and Parliament building - features that enhance readability in the organization of the public space.

A land bridge connects Major’s Hill Park with Nepean Point over Confederation Boulevard. The form plays with the transformation of both the escarpment and the adjacent limestone cliffs. Recalling the impact of post-colonial transformations, the land bridge reforms, in a contemporary fashion, the uninterrupted Ottawa Valley, restoring the land atop the escarpment to a single plateau as it flows into the center of the city. With its two cathedral inspired arches that span the Confederation Boulevard, the land bridge allows traffic to seamlessly pass below; one arch for cars and one for pedestrians and cyclists. Total interconnectivity is created with pedestrian and cyclists able to access Nepean Point, Confederate Boulevard, Major's Hill Park, Rideau Canal and the Trans-Canada trail via a network of ramped pathways.

Called Bluff Point, our design plays with the scenography and choreography of the escarpment of the Ottawa Valley. With its majestic views of the Ottawa River, Parliament Hill and other iconic institutions it is both a location to appreciate Canadian culture as well as simply a beautiful spot to stop and relax. The meandering promenade brings you to the balcony which wraps itself around the periphery of the escarpment unveiling a sweeping overview of the Ottawa skyline from south to north.

The Samuel de Champlain monument is given its own prominent location at the outlook. Positioned centrally at the top of the site's new great lawn, the monument is reached via an all-accessible pathway that wraps around its edge, and can be seen from all sides of the park - an Instagram moment with the Ottawa landscape as a stunning backdrop. Nestled beneath, a ring of alcoves form the perfect space within which to pause and absorb the site and city's rich past. In this comfortably sheltered space, a vibrant mosaic adorns the ceiling elaborating on the area's cultural and historical heritage.

Flowing down from the outlook, a great lawn is created. A generous gathering place, this open area offers a genuine multi-use space for activities and events allowing Nepean Point to meet the demands of a world-class public park. A place to relax in summer protected from the wind, and toboggan in winter. At the lower end of this lawn, stands an informal pavilion. With its flowing arches tying into the language of the alcoves and surrounding sculptures it provides the opportunity for the lawn to transform into a legitimate space for outdoor events.

Thematic flower gardens connect Nepean Point across the land bridge with Major’s Hill Park, creating a colorful and clear landscape link. These gardens will display native Canadian flora coming alive at varying times throughout the year of year to make the very journey to Nepean Point a delightful experience. Sculptures will punctuate the flower beds, becoming part of the meandering promenade that weaves these two parks together. The terrace formed by the rail tracks will be given over to a linear sculpture path that brings art all the way to the mouth of the Rideau Canal; leading back to Bluff Point as a new public heart.

Referencing the iconic Canadian birch forest, a forest of closely planted birch trees greets the visitor at the site's entrance off Sussex Drive. Taking on the qualities of a dramatic art installation known as the Veil, visitors pass up the realigned Op Art Pathway, where spaces for outdoor art, temporary exhibitions and stage objects are set beneath the dappled light, lending the place a magical quality of discovery and adventure. The Veil's lends a green backdrop to the National Gallery, providing an appealing landscape into which the National Gallery can extend an outdoor café or patio with ramp access down to Nepean Point.

The design extends the idea of the sculpture park to strengthen the reformed bond between Nepean Point and St. Major's Hill Park. The sculptures, set within The Taiga Garden designed by Cornelia Hahn Oberlander, presently lies detached from Nepean Point and Major’s Hill Park. Our proposal for the site's address to St.Patrick's Drive will see the Taiga Garden sensitively extended to flank this approach to Nepean Point. Informal pathways will be integrated into the design to encourage greater exploration and integration of these beautiful but underutilised gardens.

Together our collective vision for Nepean Point is to see it become both a contemplative and lively landscape – a place that unifies landscape and architecture with all the features of an accessible, connected and dynamic park. We envision a park that acts as a green canvas for the architecture, that invites people to immersive themselves in the culture and history of the place, and a landscape of unique elements all tied together by the breathtaking scenery and majestic views of the Ottawa Skyline.

West 8’s Master Plan for Houston Botanic Garden articulates the potential future for the Garden over the coming decades. The Plan takes its inspiration and structure from the best qualities of the existing site, and gives forethought to the biggest environmental challenges: flooding and intense weather events. The Sims Bayou and the Bayou Meander serve as framing devices that protect and enhance the experience of the gardens and the bayou. With these water bodies as a site-organizers, the Garden is divided into two main precincts: the Island and the South Gardens.

The design proposes lifting the existing topography to elevate the gardens and permanent structures out of the flood plain.  The South Gardens is the place of arrival for all visitors. It features an open lawn which is a relaxing, day-to-day place for picnics and strolling, but also supports community events. A hike/bike trail extends along Glenview Drive, with a proposed section along Sims Bayou that would connect the Garden to the extensive network of Greater Houston hike and bike trails.  

The Island will be dominated by gardens, both naturalistic and cultivated. These gardens provide year-round beauty, delight the senses, and educate young and old alike. A conservatory building extends the plant repertoire to provide a setting for exotic plants from tropical climates. Visitor-oriented amenities like educational facilities, an events pavilion, a café, and a lecture hall, are strategically located to provide destinations and provisions for guests. All of these are linked by an extensive network of pathways, many of which offer shade and are weather-protected by colonnades.

By weaving together shady pathways, a mosaic of ever-changing gardens, the bayou and other water bodies, West 8’s Master Plan for Houston Botanic Garden amplifies the potential of the site’s qualities and unites the site into a coherent, “only-in-Houston,” garden experience.