Project for the new Paifang square and Lakefront of Zhaoqing

Although its particular relief and natural position endow ZhaoQing with many open spaces, it has only one public area large enough to accommodate and represent its entire community of citizens. The square, which represents a physical and visual link between the densely-crowded historic city and the landscape of the Seven Stars Crags park, is now seeking to assume a definitive character able to highlight its characteristic values: natural position, tokens of the past, a point of intense convergence. The area covered by the masterplan has a total extension of around 180000 sq. m which comprises a space of 22000 sq. m, positioned between the stage and the arc, which is reserved for entertainment and congregation. Huge spaces if compared with the historic squares of Italy which can be considered a major reference in terms of public life and compact urban design. A comparison between the dimensions of the square of Zhao-Qing and of various famous Italian squares may be particularly useful. Therefore, it seems advisable to organise the project area in a set of more clearly-delimited spaces, of recognisable “urban rooms” while maintaining its large public accommodation capacity and aperture towards the landscape. The masterplan project aims to construct a new landscape imbued with the serenity and fascination of the complex topography of ZhaoQing, grafting on various typically urban features. Therefore, the two images, that of the city and that of nature, blend together seamlessly, without any contrast between these, in a search for functional and symbolic continuity. The layout of the masterplan features an analogy with the traditional design of ink stones: the engraved, finely chased edge of the basin defines the new border of the lake in such a way that the lake participates in constructing the public space.