Pocket park on Xinhua Road , Shanghai

The site used to be a small-scale unused space on Xinghua Road. We expect to intervene the site contexts by a relatively accurate design, reactivating the dead space left behind by the rapid urban development.



First of all, in the narrow lane with 4.2-meter width, the mirror-finished stainless-steel system was equipped on both sides of the walls， which was the core move of the design. The garden would be reflected by the side mirrors infinitely. When pedestrians pass the alleyway, the space turns into an infinite natural garden. It is a rare experience in such a metropolitan city.

The one side of the mirrors are rotatable. Removable exhibition boards are at the back of the mirrors. the space can transform into a street gallery with the rotation of the mirrors. Visitors can experience our infinite exhibition room online after scanning the QR codes on exhibition boards with their phones.

These mirrors are like screens. The reflections record the continuous change of floras in four seasons. A scenery of time is presented with interactions between different groups of people, mirrors, and plants.



Secondly, the entrance is constructed of weathering steel, where there is a permanent exhibition about the historic architecture on Xinghua Road. As we consider Xinghua Road as a vivid museum, the entrance would become a small-scale lobby presenting the introduction to a large number of precious historic buildings. The old visual effect of weathering steel makes the response to history, and, at the same time, can intervene in the city streetscape naturally and subtly.



The last thing is the plant system in the garden. Atmosphere and maintenance are the focus points in the plant design. Adaptive to Shanghai’s climate, these plants in the garden are anticipated to mimic the atmosphere of a vivid wild nature and eventually turn into a precious natural landscape within concrete urban jungles.