The CORNER Garden / VIASCAPE Design

Architects: VIASCAPE design
Area: 360 m²
Year: 2024
Photographs: CreatAR Images
Project Management Consultants: Shanghai Shefapuzhong Construction Managing Co, ltd
Contractor: Shanghai Dong’rong Construction Engineering Co, ltd
Lighting Consultant: OUI Light / Xu Yuefeng
Category: Landscape Architecture, Park
Lead Designer: Sun Yijia
Design Team: Sun Yijia, Ma Li, Zhang Liang, Ji Yuwei, Lv Zihan
Project Management Consultant: Shanghai Shefapuzhong Construction Managing Co, ltd
Vi Design: VIASCAPE design
Fonts for Vi: REEJI type
Exhibition Display: BGC
LDI: Dongda Design Group
Article Author: Sun Yijia
Design Drawings: Lv Zihan , Ji Yuwei
Client: Hudongxincun Sub-district Office, Pudong New area, Shanghai
City: Shanghai
Country: China

the CORNER garden public space designed by VIASCAPE in Shanghai’s Shou’er Community has transformed a neglected triangular plot at the southeast boundary into a functional and context-sensitive community garden. As part of the Hudong Experiment, the project responds to spatial inefficiencies and environmental degradation by introducing an adaptive streetscape strategy that incorporates the community’s requests for a quiet, usable space with drying racks as the central design element. The garden features two distinct zones: a green buffer near the driveway that screens views and traffic, and a more enclosed recreational area adjacent to the boundary wall, integrating trees, seating, and a white gallery that supports drying functions. Developed using 90° and 45° grid alignments based on the site’s spatial logic, the layout uses a 2×2 meter modular system and materials like terracotta brick and glass block to maintain visual coherence with the existing architecture. The project addresses broader issues in old residential areas such as fragmented open spaces, ad hoc material use, parking inefficiencies, and disjointed rooflines, arguing for a more consistent planning approach supported by professional design teams under Shanghai’s “community planner” system.

The site is located at the southeast corner of the Shou’er Community, adjacent to the boundary wall. Due to the spread of overgrown weeds, illegal occupation of open space with drying racks, and the generally deteriorated condition of the area, a new community garden was proposed with a total area of 360 square meters, named the CORNER garden. In terms of community planning, the Shou’er Community, constructed in the 1990s and the location of the CORNER garden, is one of two areas in the Hudong Sub-district that exhibit a clear and coherent spatial layout. The other is the Hudong and Huyi Community, which was developed in the 1950s.

The architectural layout of Shou’er Community is based on the design principles of “south and north orientation provides optimal sun exposure” and “tilted rectangular footprint creates integrated space.” These principles contribute to the final form of the community, which is arranged as a courtyard-style cluster with orientations of 90 and 45 degrees. This configuration naturally generates a series of triangular spaces that are currently used for purposes such as parking, public facility rooms, green areas, and small plazas. The site of the CORNER garden occupies one of these triangular spaces, and the garden was named to reflect this spatial characteristic.

The CORNER garden is part of the Hudong Experiment, a project proposed by VIASCAPE in collaboration with the Hudong Sub-district Office. During on-site research, it was found that residents expressed a strong desire to include drying racks in the updated garden. They also preferred that the garden remain a quiet space, without the introduction of overly dynamic activities.

In the regeneration strategy, the drying racks are intended to serve as the primary visual and functional feature, conceived not merely as utilitarian structures but as elements that define the space and form a triangular gallery for recreational use. The design integrates the boundary wall with this gallery by recessing a portion of the wall inward by one meter, creating a zigzag interface that opens additional recreational space facing Shouguang Road. This configuration enhances the streetscape by revealing the renovated garden from the interior side. Moreover, a transparent glass brick wall allows diffused streetlight to filter into the community garden, producing a dynamic visual effect that contributes to a sense of psychological safety at the community’s edge during nighttime. Transforming the streetscape through a garden located within the community is the central experimental approach in the CORNER garden design and forms the foundation for its detailed spatial development.

The design of the CORNER garden consists of two distinct parts. The first is a green space located next to the community’s secondary driveway. A combination of lawns and trees was arranged to block views from the vehicular road and adjacent parking areas, making this section of the garden resemble a front yard commonly found in contemporary apartment developments. The second part lies closer to the boundary wall. In this area, small-scale functional zones and pedestrian pathways were integrated with trees, forming relatively independent recreational spaces beneath the tree canopies. The drying rack was also incorporated into the structure of a white gallery that is partially built on the base of the boundary wall, establishing the fundamental spatial layout of the garden.

The CORNER garden was designed using two interwoven grid systems set at angles of 90° and 45°, reflecting the spatial characteristics of the Shou’er Community. The layout follows a 2×2 meter modular system, allowing for an efficient and straightforward assembly that incorporates tree pits and seating benches. Terracotta brick, selected to match the color of the boundary wall, serves as the primary material to create a warm atmosphere within the garden. Glass brick is also used in the boundary wall to capture and reflect dynamic patterns of light and shadow from Shouguang Road.

A closer bird’s-eye view of the Shou’er Community reveals three key problems that are often overlooked. First, the various triangular outdoor spaces, each renovated at different times, differ significantly in spatial composition and material selection. With the exception of the CORNER garden, which was redesigned in response to its specific context, the appearance of these other spaces does not align with the spatial character of the Shou’er Community. Some notable examples include:

The triangular plaza located in the middle east section of the community is overly concentrated and used inefficiently, which may lead to high noise levels from large gatherings. The relatively small triangular green space on the north side of the public service complex in the middle west of the community features awkward and overly complex curving lines. Second, while the relevant management departments and grassroots government bodies have made significant efforts to address parking challenges in old residential areas, a number of scattered non-parking and vehicle access zones still exist. These spaces could be reorganized and optimized, for instance, by converting some of them into green areas to increase the community’s overall green coverage. Third, the sloped roofs throughout the community exhibit a fragmented color palette, dominated by blue with patches of gray. This inconsistency likely results from the use of different materials in various renovation projects over the years. For residents living on higher floors or in nearby high-rise buildings, these mismatched roof colors form a visually unattractive backdrop.

These issues are clearly not limited to a single community but are common across many residential areas. From a citywide perspective, Shanghai has long prioritized the renovation and upgrading of aging residential neighborhoods. However, fiscal resources are often distributed in separate phases over time, and in some cases, involve different administrative departments. This fragmentation creates challenges related to the continuity of spatial planning strategies, consistency in material selection, and detailing. In addition, the typical process for repair applications still follows traditional administrative procedures. Given these circumstances, it is recommended that community planners and qualified professional design teams take on a more active role. Their involvement should be guided by a comprehensive understanding of time, spatial context, and technical expertise, in alignment with Shanghai’s “community planner” system, to effectively enhance the environmental quality of older residential communities.