Living Water Park is a 5.9-acre (2.4 ha) public park located on the Fu and Nan Rivers in the heart of the Sichuan capital, Chengdu. Each day, the Chengdu Living Water Park moves 200 cubic meters of polluted river water through a natural cleansing system, and has become one of the most popular parks in Chengdu. The system begins around a tall teahouse, where water flows into a pond where the solids settle out. From there the water flows down a series of sculptural forms to constructed wetlands where the plants filter contaminants. The small drop from one wetland level to the next aerates the water, making the final ponds clean enough to wade in.
with Betsy Damon
1999 Place Design Award, The Environmental Design Research Association and Places Journal
1997 First Prize, Waterfront Center Excellence on the Waterfront Awards
Size: 5.9 acres
Completed: 1997
