TLS wins lion mountain park competition in suzhou, china

the city of suzhou in china has announced TLS landscape architecture, a california-based firm, as the winner of the lion mountain park design competition. in brief, the shishan (lion) mountain is an ancient geological landmark that famously got its name for resembling a lion guarding the top. today, it forms the core of a new urban ecosystem complex, and is connected to the recently enlarged shishan lake by a great circular promenade. built on the grounds of an old amusement space and pond, the 74 hectare urban park will become the key feature of the suzhou high-tech district. but most importantly, it will be a unique effort to regenerate local ecosystems by using natural processes and the chinese concept of shanshui- union of mountain and lake.

‘poem bridge’ linking the lion mountain to its smaller sibling

the competition coincided with the chinese government’s announcement of its recently modified urban work guidelines that highlight the importance of proper ecological and urban development practices. they also promote the recovery of local character and sense of place that is difficult to achieve in most new-city programs across china. in other words, TLS landscape architecture‘s lion mountain park will be the first large scale public project in the city to implement those principles.

elevated walkways threaded through wetland islands

the ecological program sees the shishan lake doubled in size, with its water quality improved from a murky level 3 to a sparkling level 1 – through the creation of a sustainable watershed. the latter will harvest annual rainfall and naturally clear run-off in new development areas. on the other hand, the circular promenade that unfolds around the site will become the prime venue for daily social life. in addition, an extensive public art program will be part of the lion mountain park project; it will focus on local cultural and artistic traditions in the heart of the city – famous for its historic architecture and courtyard gardens of the UNESCO world heritage status. 

view from the top of lion mountain

party barge on shishan lake with floating wetland attached

circular promenade with aerial tram that takes visitors to mountain trails

rain fountain on shishan lake

cypress islands and tea house proposed along the lake

introduced bird species approaching the existing roller coaster

grotto garden proposal

extreme sports in ‘life giving forest’

project info:

construction date: march 2017

assisted partner: 64 North

TLS team: guy nordenson and assoc., new york, structural engineer
/ kevin daly architects, los angeles
/ kuth & ranieri architects, san francisco/
 endres studio, emeryville, ca, structural engineer
/lotus water, san francisco, sustainable watershed planning
/ betti-sue hertz, san francisco, public art consultant.

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lea zeitoun | designboom