Spotlight On: Yunyang Beach and Water Garden

Location: Centennial Parklands, Sydney, Australia Project by: ASPECT Studios, Botanic Gardens & Centennial Parklands, Sam Crawford Architects, Cave Urban, Design Landscapes, Fleetwood Urban

Yunyang County Town is located on the bank of the Three Gorges Reservoir. Over the 20 years since its original construction, the pre-existing parks along the waterfront area of the town had become outdated and underused.

As a response, local government officials wanted to construct a coherent system of waterfront parks and greenways in the area. The landscape architects’ strategy aimed to strengthen the connection between the town and the waterfront, improving the quality of the landscape, while also providing a variety of social functions in a new and vibrant waterfront.

The biggest challenge for the landscape architects was reducing the negative impact of the Three Gorges Reservoir hydro-fluctuation zone on the urban waterfront landscape, which would seasonally be flooded.

The project team took this constraint and turned it into a benefit. Through their innovative design, they created resilient landscapes which adapt to the change of reservoir water level, providing new public spaces and significantly improving the quality of the county town.

The project has become a example for the waterfront green belt of Yunyang, and also offers a reference for other cities along the Three Gorges Reservoir.