Architects: West 8
Area: 1025 m²
Year: 2024
Photographs: ZiL ArchVisual
Design Team: West 8
City: Chengdu
Country: China
Xiaoliangtan Garden by West 8 in Chengdu was created for the 2024 World Horticultural Expo and draws from the tradition of creekside gatherings in Sichuan. The garden employs red sandstone sourced from local riverbeds and uses three shaped slopes to channel water toward a central pebble basin. Designed without defined paths or entries, it allows visitors to approach freely and interact with flowing streams. Opened in September 2024, the project remains active as the park’s vegetation matures, emphasizing informal play, cooling, and social interaction in a shaded water-centered setting.
Xiaoliangtan Garden draws on Chengdu traditions of meeting by mountain creeks, listening to streams under shaded tree canopies, and cooling in flowing water. The design offers places for rest, shade, social gathering, and play along the water and pebble surfaces.
West 8 was commissioned to design the garden for the 2024 Chengdu World Horticultural Expo. The concept avoided defined routes and arrival points, encouraging visitors to enter freely, sit on stone edges, and place their feet in the water. The garden opened in September 2024 and remains in active use as the surrounding parkland continues to grow.
Construction used red sandstone sourced locally from riverbeds in Sichuan province. The terrain features three sloping sections that guide streams toward a central meeting point, forming a pebble-lined basin at the lowest level. This shaping of water and land creates a direct physical experience while preserving the cultural memory of creekside life in the region.
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Project Location
Address: Chengdu, China
Location is for general reference and may represent a city or country, not necessarily a precise address.
