DETAILS
The new Opera District celebrates the adjacent spectacle of the world’s tallest building, while embracing the rhythm of everyday life. For three distinct mixed-use areas within the nearly 100,000-square-meter District anchored by the namesake opera house, SWA’s layered landscape architecture provides visual and experiential coherence using the concept of a musical score as an overall design generator. This theme extends throughout residential, retail, boulevard, promenade, event, and park spaces. The landscape layout references a musical staff in three sections running from west to east, upon which the paving and furniture designs (or “notes”) are organized and presented. In addition, a green ribbon threads from north to south throughout the District, gathering the buildings and plazas in its loose embrace. This harmonious yet flexible whole sets the stage for activating the “people space” requested by the client, areas which are modeled in spirit after European squares.
Work attributed to SWA/Balsley principal John Wong and his team with SWA Group.
Flushing Commons
This ten-acre mixed-use development with parks, plazas, and retail will become the center of social and retail activity in downtown Flushing. Driven mostly by an influx of immigrants from East Asia, Flushing is one of the fastest-growing and most diverse neighborhoods in the US. Abuzz with shopping and socializing at all hours of the day and evening, its stree...
Downtown Flushing Framework
The development framework for Downtown Flushing seizes on the unique and significant attributes of the area and connects them into a cohesive whole, implementing improvements to the public realm and incentivizing high-quality private development. The framework builds upon the rich history and cultural diversity of Downtown Flushing; the study area currently e...
Rijskaya District Master Plan
Nanchang Xiangnan Urban Infill
Situated in the capital city of Jiangxi Province, which is known for its rich cultural and ecological resources, the Nanchang Urban Infill project strives to weave two new districts into the historical heart of the city. To the west, a tower and mall create a modern icon for Nanchang. Here, the landscape reinforces the architectural design through a fluid, con...