Located on the east bank of Jingji Lake and on the east-west axis of Suzhou city, the new Suzhou Industrial Park Administrative Center (SIP) is the primary work area for government management departments in Suzhou, China. SWA’s landscape master plan and design create a strong identity for the civic campus, which is located in a setting that integrates traditional Suzhou culture with modern amenities. The program includes a civic plaza, fountains, central green, canal waterfront, and streetscape, incorporating landscape elements such as trees, water features, and new landforms to provide inviting amenities while linking the site to its context. Water plays a central role in this “city of canals,” and drives the design by integrating water into citizens’ modern daily life both physically and metaphorically. The existing central canal and linear waterfront park connect the site to Suzhou City, while the main building, civic plaza, reflecting pool, and water platform form a new north-south axis that directs views and provides orientation. SIP’s administrative center connects residents to the city’s past, while creating an environment that is both aesthetically and functionally rich.
Work attributed to SWA/Balsley principal John Wong and his team with SWA Group.
Alipay Headquarters
The new the Hangzhou Alipay Headquarters is located between the Xi Xi wetlands and downtown Hangzhou, a city renowned for its rich culture and beautiful landscapes. Hills and small mountains surround the headquarters building in three directions, and in the fourth lies downtown Hangzhou. Three landscape “movements” derived from openings in the building direct ...
Larchmont Yacht Club
Larchmont Yacht Club is the second-oldest yacht club in the United States. Conceived in 1880 on the cleft rocks of Larchmont Manor, the club has grown to a membership in excess of 600, with a continued mission to instill and enhance an interest in yachting and the spirit of sportsmanship in members and their families. Set within a mature forest of deciduous tr...
Busan Lotte Tower
Busan Lotte World is an extraordinary mixed-use destination for residential, office, hotel, shopping, entertainment, and tourism and includes one of the tallest buildings in the world at 107 stories. The SOM designed tower is composed of four buildings that connect to each other internally via a covered arcade.
The landscape strikes a dramatic pose in t...
Lite-On Headquarters
This major Taiwanese electronics company chose the “Electronics Center” of Taipei overlooking the Gee Long River for their new headquarters. The overall concept is of a 25-story slender tower rising above a sloped landscape podium that covers much of the site. Below-grade parking slopes toward the river on one side, with the urban center on the oth...