Renovation and Landscape Design of a Coking Plant in Shougang

As a former coke plant located at the west end of the main artery of Beijing, this project consists of a huge rehabilitation of industrial installations, accompanied by a landscape project. Similar to the Ruhr project but in this case located within an urban context, the project requires a long process that will be carried out in several phases. The area will become a cultural centre for Shijingshan District in Beijing. It will include retail, businesses, restaurants, and also spaces dedicated to art, sport, culture and education.

NG-Lab has been assigned with realizing the landscape design and the ecological remediation of the soils. The project will become an urban laboratory, which today seems to be the only reasonable way to process all urban wastes. Grey water will be purified in ponds; Black water will be recycled to regenerate contaminated and semi-arid soils; Organic and plastic waste will be processed; Decomposition or combustion of other waste will be used to generate thermal energy. This is a global process which requires the coordinated efforts of the city, the site owner and the researchers gathered in China and Europe by the workshop.

In the initial phase of the renovation process, the industrial infrastructure of the coking plants can be visited via an elevated walkway, allowing visitors to pass through the Shougang site from south to north. The walkway will provide generous views of the landscape, which has been designed as a piece of graphical art with patterns and strong colours applied through the selection of materials, local plant species and lighting. Kinetic art pieces are placed at specific points around the site to express the industrial context and to add dynamism and energy.