Chinese landscape architecture studio Turenscape has transformed a concrete sea wall on an abandoned fish farm into a public space in Haikou City, Hainan.
Named A Breathing Sea Wall, the project aims to help alleviate the local threat of rising sea levels while providing locals with useable outdoor space.
The concrete structure, which spans a 3.72-kilometre-long beach, has been updated by Turenscape with an improved stormwater management system as well as recreational facilities, such as sculptural pavilions and walkways.
Before its transformation, the existing four-metre-high sea wall was causing salt to build up in the soil, which was damaging the surrounding vegetative windbreak.
"The project was inspired by the need to address the environmental damage caused by the existing concrete sea wall, which exacerbated soil salinisation and amplified erosive force," Turenscape founder Kongjian Yu told Dezeen.
"The aim was to transform the area into a resilient public space that would adapt to rising sea levels and restore the local ecosystem," he continued.
To improve the quality of the barrier, the studio converted it into a terraced structure incorporating plants.
According to the studio, this terraced design allows "water to flow more naturally through the landscape".
"The sea wall's permeable, terraced design allows seawater infiltration while preventing severe salinisation," Yu explained. "It also helps manage stormwater and urban runoff."
The site of A Breathing Sea Wall was previously a shrimp farm, where native mangrove habitats had been replaced with barren concrete ponds. As part of the project, Turenscape aimed to restore a more open, natural landscape.
Measures taken to achieve this include the introduction of bioswales that help manage stormwater and are hoped to encourage the growth of native flora.
"The project restores the ecosystem by transforming barren concrete ponds and degraded inland habitats into vibrant mangrove and native habitats," said Yu.
To make A Breathing Sea Wall accessible to the public, it is complete with pedestrian pathways, bike lanes and boardwalks.
Prefabricated concrete slabs were used for pedestrian areas and pavilions modelled on ocean waves, which serve as both functional shelters and aesthetic features.
A Breathing Sea Wall is among the shortlisted projects in the Landscape and urban design category of this year's Dezeen Awards.
Other landscape architecture projects recently featured on Dezeen include a flood-defence system in Denmark by CF Møller and SOA Architekti's transformation of a graveyard into a public park in the Czech Republic.
Turenscape was founded in 1997 by Chinese landscape architect Yu, who was the recipient of the 2023 Cornelia Hahn Oberlander International Landscape Architecture Prize. Its project A Breathing Sea Wall is among the shortlisted projects in the Landscape and Urban Design category of this year's Dezeen Awards.
The photography is by Turenscape.