Liangshuichi East Road in Shougang

A 1.8km long avenue connecting the major heritage sites of Shougang, China’s largest industrial site.

NG-Lab creates a smart way to serve its users. Bicycle and pedestrian pathways are designed as coloured ribbons, winding between relief islands which are planted with 84 local species of flowers and grasses. The planting techniques are intended to deliberately give a wild appearance, reducing management and water requirements, among other advantages. Soils made of porous recycled materials filter the rainwater. We use four symbolic colours on the floor and in the gabion retaining walls; red for fire, black for coal, grey for steel and white for water.

In the evening dynamic LED lighting leads people between a series of photo-luminescent zones. The photo-luminescent ground of each zone is made from blocks incorporating luciferin crystals, which absorb solar radiation during the day and give a surreal luminosity in the evening. This feature reduces light energy consumption by 95% for the slow circulation lanes. The street furniture reuses transformed industrial parts and the architecture of the bus stops is inspired by the tubular vocabulary of the fluid transport ducts.