Landscape of Shougang silos

Shougang is one of the largest metallurgical sites in China, established in 1919 in the west of Beijing on the most important axis of the capital. The site was decommissioned in order to be transformed into a 10km2 ecological city, in preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games and as part of Beijing’s membership of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, an international group of cities supporting the environmental provisions of the COP21 Paris Agreement.

In preparation for the 2022 Winter Olympics the workshop has been appointed to undertake the planning, landscape and rehabilitation of the main industrial facilities of this site, including the silos, blast furnaces, coking plants, desulfurization hall and main traffic routes. The project is divided into several phases spread over 10 years. “The Silos” marks the launch of the first phase of this program.

The landscape design for this project covers a site area of 7 hectares, including public squares, gardens and a park. These facilities will accompany the management centre for the Olympic Committee of the 2022 Winter Games, accommodated in the rehabilitated silos. The project has been awarded for its exemplary renovation of industrial facilities.

The landscape is expressed in a very natural way due to the native plants and grasses selected for planting and sowing. This planting scheme allows the landscape to serve the architecture through every season. Recycled industrial parts have been used in this project to create street furniture, retaining walls from old railway tracks and also paving produced from 70% local recycled demolition products. The interest of this project lies in enhancing the value of the site through landscape design. The project also demonstrates our in-depth knowledge of local species and our ability to work within technical constraints, collaborating with nurseries in order to achieve a complex aesthetic.