UNIQUE IP CREATES WORLD CLASS DESTINATION

Mountain-Beach Park lies in Xiaomeisha to the east of Shenzhen and forms a major part of the city’s unexpected natural beauty. Sitting on the subtropical South China Sea coastline, Xiaomeisha holds the 128 hectare Mountain-Beach Park project: comprised of 90 hectares of mountain forest, and 38 hectares of beach park.

Since NDA started this project in 2017, the goal for Xiaomeisha Mountain-Beach Park has been clear: create a world-class coastal tourist destination that exceeds the expectations of all three stakeholders. The local government who want global recognition for the area, the developer who wants to attract visitors and retain profitability, and Shenzhen locals who want a new spot to explore, gather and as they say in Chinese, ‘da-ka’ (hit up the new hotspot).

As architects and urban planners, how can we use innovation and creativity to tackle the four central issues of this project:

1.    Can we create unique brand positioning to help drive development of tourism in east Shenzhen?

2.    Can we create a diversity of experiences and activities that allows Xiaomeisha Mountain-Beach Park to be in use year-round?

3.    Can we create space that’s flexible enough to respond to future events?

4.    Can we achieve true linkage of mountain, urban and sea?

Unique Brand Positioning

The world’s most famous beaches each have their own distinct brand image. Just like Cannes and the eponymous film festival, or Dubai and the incredible architecture, we needed to hit upon an unmistakable brand identity. So how did we approach this?

We created a unique IP called Jurrassic coastline  that draws upon the awesome coastline of Dapeng Bay, where Xiaomeisha Mountain-Beach Park sits. The highly diverse landscape was formed 200 million years ago by huge volcanic eruptions, and it’s so unique that Shenzhen is applying for the entire Jurassic-era coastline to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Alongside the 120 different year round all weather activities we’ve designed, Mountain-Beach Park will be globally recognised for its innate majestic beauty, awe inspiring history and rich experiences.

A Diversified Experience

But destinations are not just a collection of buildings and landscapes, visitors demand unforgettable experiences that are curated by experts. To that end, we created six unforgettable themed experiences, each exploring Mountain-Beach Park from different angles to give visitors a completely unique experience each time they visit.

1. The Millennium Coastal Art Trail takes visitors on a trip that explores the past, the present, and the future through the ancient Jurassic Boulder Zone, the landmark underwater restaurant and the futuristic light projection show.

2. The Colourful Beach embraces Mountain-Beach Park’s natural assets, taking visitors on a journey through mountain water and forest, through the mountain-sea corridor, and landmark sea-view bridge.

3. The Fantasy Forest Show taking all age group audiences into a surreal art show using digital technology that highlights nature without disrupting it.

4. The Happy Mountain Forest Recreation Park combines the integration of science, ecology, and sports that explore the Adventure Park and Butterfly Valley, taking families, sports enthusiasts, and team building groups on an active and exhilarating ride.

5. The Romantic Mountain and Sea Tour is specialised for couples allowing them chronicle their love through a romantic route that includes a mountaintop art park and three themed churches of forest, sand and sea.

6. Mountain-Beach Health Station is a holistic health experience for older visitors. Absorbing Mountain-Beach Park’s natural elements combined with spa, yoga, and meditation experiences creates the perfect package for those seeking to maintain and enhance health.

Closer to Nature

We placed the six elements of sky, trees, magma, beach, rocks and ocean at the forefront of our design philosophy. We wanted to bring visitors closer to nature. To achieve that we need to protect nature, especially the trees, turn it into a focal point of our planning and design, and carefully control people flow. For example, we created an incredible underwater restaurant from which oceanic landforms and an abundance of coral can be seen.

Thus, we created a series of close-to-nature experiences that allow visitors to appreciate the biodiversity in a truly unique sense – after all, how many other places in the world offer such an incredible combination of beach and forested mountains?

Flexibility

NDA’s forward thinking design foresees and adjusts for meteorological and human activity changes. To protect the structures and visitors from adverse weather, we imitated nature’s rounded edges to create structure that allow powerful typhoons to pass by, rather than try to fight it, as well as adding secondary layers of protection to windows so they can literally batten down the hatches when typhoon comes. We also modelled emergency gathering areas so that visitors can get to safety at a moment’s notice.

Mountain Urban Sea Linkage

We created comprehensive plans for corporate activities, transportation, and traffic flows theme route that are tailored precisely to City Park. This way we can implement an urban development that truly integrates into, and links the mountain and sea.

That means corporate activities designed in conjunction with experts from the health, education, and training industries. It also means we created networks for people, water and public transport that are customised for the area.

NDA’s Vision

We believe that Xiaomeisha Mountain-Beach Park’s identity will be inextricably intertwined with Shenzhen city. One day in the near future, when people think of Shenzhen they’ll visualise a world class beach destination that complements the world’s most advanced city.

From our Jurassic coastline IP to legendary concerts, to incredible nature and a multitude of sports, Xiaomeisha is set to change the way the world sees Shenzhen, whilst driving tourism that will help integrate and anchor the Greater Bay Area as one of Asia most important regions.