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STUDENT COLLABORATION AWARD OF HONOR
Restoring Chengde
Daniel Affleck, Student ASLA, Mariana Rovzar Orvañanos,
Student ASLA, and Daniel Friedman, Student ASLA
University of Pennsylvania, Penn Design, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Faculty Advisor(s): Laurie Olin, FASLA, and Tony
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In the next ten years, Chengde City expects a population increase that is, in itself, the size of
Seattle. Improved highway connections to greater China encourage growth, but limited land for development places a
strain on the environment, which was traditionally the link between Manchuria
and Beijing. Steep cliffs in every direction confine building to the long green river valley that runs from north
to south. The once mighty Rehe River is now heavily dammed and the river banks are filled with mud and trash. Prairie grasses once grew everywhere along
the river and the horizon was famous for its picturesque rock formations. Increasingly, high rise apartment buildings
are the dominant feature of the valley and they threaten to obstruct the
mountain views.
Originally the summer residence for Qing Emperors from 1644 to 1911, Chengde was China's administrative center north of the Great
Wall and the Emperor's hunting lodge. The city is famous for the imperial gardens of the Summer Palace, which were
intended to impress the emperor's subjects. The emperor imposed on his
landscape a sense of transition between various pavilions and visual connection
with the greater setting from within the walled imperial residence. Every summer, the once private imperial
resort is filled with tourists from China and abroad, who come for the history
and the beautiful scenery.
We believe that development is unavoidable, but must be conducted in way which accommodates social needs and respects the historical
scenery. Our solution is to push the development down, push the mountains up, and make the river alive again. We designed a green infrastructure in the
historical core from the Summer Palace to the Buddha Mountains. Structures for commercial and residential
development are concealed under the ground plane, which is planted with native
trees and grasses, restoring the original continuity of the Chengde
landscape. The river's edge is regraded and planted with water tolerant species so that locals and tourists may utilize
this valuable land for rest and recreation.
The design is divided into four zones. Adjacent to the Summer Palace wall is an area
of derelict housing built in World War II. For this area we propose an Event Park for soccer, basketball, tennis,
swimming, track and outdoor theater. The park is characterized by a curving landform which provides seating
for spectators. Between the SummerPlace and the River is a neglected park in a crucial area. We propose angling the park upward towards
the Buddha Mountain. Under the park are cafes, clubs, restaurants and banquet halls.
The area of usable open space can be greatly increased by colonizing the
river as parkland for walking, Tai Chi, kite flying, fishing and picnics. There will be no structures in this area and
the original flood wall will be preserved. Finally, we propose that the abandoned manufacturing zone across the
river be transformed into The Buddha Center: a mixed-use development with
commercial and residential zones, museums and conference centers. The roof of the Center is planted with
prairie grasses and trees and visitors can walk along the roof, joining the
city to the Buddha Mountain trails.
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