The Red Ribbon——Tanghe River Park
“The Red Ribbon—Tanghe River Park”，designed by Turenscape and Peking University Graduate School of Landscape Architecture，has won the ASLA Design Honor Award of 2007．It is attributed to Professor Kongjian Yu and his group after their awards of Zhongshan Shipyard Park in 2002，Campus of Shenyang Architectural University and Growth Pattern of Taizhou City Based on Ecological Infrastructure in 2005，and the Huangyan Yongning River Park in 2006．This project of Tanghe Park demonstrates how a minimal design solution can achieve a dramatic improvement to the landscape．Text by Professor Kongjian Yu．Images courtesy of Turenscape。
For Tanghe River Park，until July 2006，it took about only one year to complete its design and
construction．With the least intervention and fund。this project has made a dull and flicker river into a dramatic urban open leisure space．
While preserving as much of the natural river corridor as possible during the process of urbanisation，it designed a“Red Ribbon”．which is made of fibre steel．stretches for 500 metres along the riverbank，integrating a boardwalk，Iighting．seating．environmentaI interpretation， and environmental orientation．
2007 Professional Awards Jury commented：“Acelebration integrating artistic elements into a natural landscape in an ingenious way．Very dramatic，yet highly functional．It’s transformative and curative.。”
Under the process of urbanisation，this process was likely to happen again at the site，meaning the natural river corridor was Iikely to be replaced with hard pavement and ornamentaI flower beds unless the new red ribbon design was implemented．
The minimum intervention approach to urban greenway
Against a background of natural terrain and vegetation，is a“red ribbon”spanning 500 metres，which integrates the functions of lighting，seating，environmental interpretation，and orientation．While preserving as much of the natural river corridor as possible during the process of urbanisation．this project demonstrates how a minimaI design solution can achieve a dramatic improvement to the landscape。
Narrative Summary
1．Site Conditions and ChaIIenges
The project was Iocated on the Tanghe River。at the east urban fringe of Qinhuangdao City，Hebei Province，China.The site is a linear river corridor．with a totaI area of about 20 hectares．
The following site conditions offered both opportunities as well as challenges for the design of this site：
(1) Good Ecological Condition：The site was covered with lush and diverse native vegetation that provides diverse habitats for various species．
(2)Unkempt and Deserted：Located at the edge of a beach city，the site was a garbage dumping site with deserted slums and irrigation facilities such as ditches and water towers that were built for farming years ago．
(3)PotentiaI Safety and Accessibility problems：distributed with Iush shrubs and“messy”grasses，the site was virtually inaccessible and insecure for people to use．
(4)Use Demands：Along with the urban sprawl process，the site was sought after for recreationaI uses such as fishing，swimming and jogging by the people who came to reside jn the newly developed communities nearby．
(5)Development Pressure：The lower reaches of this river have already been channeled，and this process was likely to happen again at the site，meaning the natural river corridor was Iikely to be replaced with hard pavement and ornamental flower beds unless the new red ribbon design was implemented．
2。Design objectives
The major design challenge was how to preserve the natural habitats along the river while creating the new urban uses of recreation and education．The solution is the“red ribbon”．
3．Design solution
A“red nbbon”was designed against the background of green vegetation and blue water．This nbbon stretches for 500 metres along the riverbank．integrating a boardwalk，lighting，seating，environmentaI interpretation．and environmentaI orientation．It is made of fibre steel，and lit from inside so that It glows red at night．It stands 60cm high，and its width varies from 30-1 50cm．Various plant specimens are grown in strategically placed holes in the nbbon．
Four pavilions in the shape of clouds are distributed along the nbbon，which provide protection from the weather,meeting opportunities，and visual focal points．
Four perennial flower gardens of white，yellow,purple and blue act as patchwork on the former open fields，and turn the deserted garage dumps and slum sites into attractions．
The bright red colour of the nbbon lights up this densely vegetated site．links the diverse natural vegetation types and the four added flower gardens，and provides a structural instrument that reorganises the former unkempt and inaccessible site．The naturaI site has been dramatically
urbanised and modemised．two attnbutes that are highly sought after by the local residents while keeping the ecological processes and natural services of the site intact．
Project data
Project Title：The Red Ribbon—Tanghe River Park
Project Location：Qinhuangdao City，
Hebei Province，China
Project Type：Park，Greenway
Date of Completion：July 2006
Owner／Client：The Landscape Bureau，
Qinhuangdao City
Design Firm：Turenscape，Beijing，China
Design Principal：Kongjian Yu
Photograph：Kongjian Yu，Cao Yang
About the author
Dr KongJlan Yu got his Doctor of Design Degree at The Harvard Graduate School of Design in 1 995．He is also the founder and dean of the Graduate School of Landscape Architecture at Peking University，and the founder and president of turenscape，which is an internationally awarded firm with more than 300 professionals and is one of the first and largest private landscape architecture firms in China．Dr Yu has practiced actively and has been awarded five ASLA Honor Awards in 2002 and 2005，2006 and 2007 respectively by the American Society of Landscape Architecture．Dr YU has published widely，including more than 200 papers and 1 7 books．His major research interests include：the theory and method of landscape architecture and urban planning：the cultural aspect of landscape；landscape security patterns and ecologicaI infrastructure．For more information，e-mailinfo⑥turenscape．com or visit WWW．turenscape．com／
For Tanghe River Park，until July 2006，it took about only one year to complete its design and
construction．With the least intervention and fund。this project has made a dull and flicker river into a dramatic urban open leisure space．
While preserving as much of the natural river corridor as possible during the process of urbanisation，it designed a“Red Ribbon”．which is made of fibre steel．stretches for 500 metres along the riverbank，integrating a boardwalk，Iighting．seating．environmentaI interpretation， and environmental orientation．
2007 Professional Awards Jury commented：“Acelebration integrating artistic elements into a natural landscape in an ingenious way．Very dramatic，yet highly functional．It’s transformative and curative.。”
Under the process of urbanisation，this process was likely to happen again at the site，meaning the natural river corridor was Iikely to be replaced with hard pavement and ornamentaI flower beds unless the new red ribbon design was implemented．
The minimum intervention approach to urban greenway
Against a background of natural terrain and vegetation，is a“red ribbon”spanning 500 metres，which integrates the functions of lighting，seating，environmental interpretation，and orientation．While preserving as much of the natural river corridor as possible during the process of urbanisation．this project demonstrates how a minimaI design solution can achieve a dramatic improvement to the landscape。
Narrative Summary
1．Site Conditions and ChaIIenges
The project was Iocated on the Tanghe River。at the east urban fringe of Qinhuangdao City，Hebei Province，China.The site is a linear river corridor．with a totaI area of about 20 hectares．
The following site conditions offered both opportunities as well as challenges for the design of this site：
(1) Good Ecological Condition：The site was covered with lush and diverse native vegetation that provides diverse habitats for various species．
(2)Unkempt and Deserted：Located at the edge of a beach city，the site was a garbage dumping site with deserted slums and irrigation facilities such as ditches and water towers that were built for farming years ago．
(3)PotentiaI Safety and Accessibility problems：distributed with Iush shrubs and“messy”grasses，the site was virtually inaccessible and insecure for people to use．
(4)Use Demands：Along with the urban sprawl process，the site was sought after for recreationaI uses such as fishing，swimming and jogging by the people who came to reside jn the newly developed communities nearby．
(5)Development Pressure：The lower reaches of this river have already been channeled，and this process was likely to happen again at the site，meaning the natural river corridor was Iikely to be replaced with hard pavement and ornamental flower beds unless the new red ribbon design was implemented．
2。Design objectives
The major design challenge was how to preserve the natural habitats along the river while creating the new urban uses of recreation and education．The solution is the“red ribbon”．
3．Design solution
A“red nbbon”was designed against the background of green vegetation and blue water．This nbbon stretches for 500 metres along the riverbank．integrating a boardwalk，lighting，seating，environmentaI interpretation．and environmentaI orientation．It is made of fibre steel，and lit from inside so that It glows red at night．It stands 60cm high，and its width varies from 30-1 50cm．Various plant specimens are grown in strategically placed holes in the nbbon．
Four pavilions in the shape of clouds are distributed along the nbbon，which provide protection from the weather,meeting opportunities，and visual focal points．
Four perennial flower gardens of white，yellow,purple and blue act as patchwork on the former open fields，and turn the deserted garage dumps and slum sites into attractions．
The bright red colour of the nbbon lights up this densely vegetated site．links the diverse natural vegetation types and the four added flower gardens，and provides a structural instrument that reorganises the former unkempt and inaccessible site．The naturaI site has been dramatically
urbanised and modemised．two attnbutes that are highly sought after by the local residents while keeping the ecological processes and natural services of the site intact．
Project data
Project Title：The Red Ribbon—Tanghe River Park
Project Location：Qinhuangdao City，
Hebei Province，China
Project Type：Park，Greenway
Date of Completion：July 2006
Owner／Client：The Landscape Bureau，
Qinhuangdao City
Design Firm：Turenscape，Beijing，China
Design Principal：Kongjian Yu
Photograph：Kongjian Yu，Cao Yang
About the author
Dr KongJlan Yu got his Doctor of Design Degree at The Harvard Graduate School of Design in 1 995．He is also the founder and dean of the Graduate School of Landscape Architecture at Peking University，and the founder and president of turenscape，which is an internationally awarded firm with more than 300 professionals and is one of the first and largest private landscape architecture firms in China．Dr Yu has practiced actively and has been awarded five ASLA Honor Awards in 2002 and 2005，2006 and 2007 respectively by the American Society of Landscape Architecture．Dr YU has published widely，including more than 200 papers and 1 7 books．His major research interests include：the theory and method of landscape architecture and urban planning：the cultural aspect of landscape；landscape security patterns and ecologicaI infrastructure．For more information，e-mailinfo⑥turenscape．com or visit WWW．turenscape．com／
