PROJECT STATEMENT
The Tangshan Quarry Park is a project to remediate an abandoned quarry into a biodiversity environment, in the meantime rejuvenate it into a dynamic public space. Facing the given condition of four large quarry craters and severely damaged ecosystem around the quarry, our design response is not only for environmental enhancement, but to create a public education opportunity to increase attention from general public to come across both current and future environmental issues. It is to transform the industrial relic to a territory where people could go deep into, experience the damaged nature with its healing process. The experimental procedure is ever-changing and open ended. It offers exploration and investigation opportunity between time and eternity that binding human beings and the globe together.
PROJECT NARRATIVE
Background
The project is located 30 km from the center of Nanjing City and on the southside of the Tangshan mountain. The quarry formerly known as the Longquan Quarry was the largest limestone mine in the region. It was in operation from 1990 to 2004. Fifteen years of mining left 4 gigantic craters in the southside of the Tangshan mountain. Since 2017, the local government has been collaborating with a team of landscape architects, mountain maintenance engineers and soil ecologists to rejuvenate the abandoned quarry and vicinity area. To restore the damaged ecosystem has been one of the main goals and approaches of this effort.
Issues of the site
The project covers an area of approximately 40 hectares. The elevation changes on the site vary from 50 to 250 meters. From west to east, the dimensions (Length x Width x Height)of the four craters are respectively: 210 x 180 x 59 meters (elevations from 141.2 to 82.1), 168 x 120 x 87 meters (elevations from 169.4 to 82.01), 177 x 126 x 100 meters (elevation from 198.7 to 98.4), and 167 x 189 x 103 meters (elevation from 197.05 to 93.84). Based on the survey, some rock walls were in the danger of falling and collapsing. The ecological condition of the mountain body outside of the 4 craters and above 100 meters elevation was considered good. This area provided relatively better habitat of most of local plants and animals. The ecological value and sensitivity were at high level. For the area below the elevation of 100 meters, the terrain was gentle. In this area, the human activities were heavy, the ecological value and sensitivity were at low level. The prolonged industrial activities on the site had polluted the water and soil severely. The level of the heavy metal found in the ground water was high. The soil was heavily compacted and mixed with rocks and muck, which offered very poor condition for plant's growth. The mining activity also damaged the biodiversity of the area.
Solutions
Sustainable operation and maintenance
For the past 5 years, the natural ecological condition in the quarry has improved significantly. The rock fractures in the caters start to be recovered by spontaneous plants, the soil erosion has been controlled, and the water quality level has been upgraded. The indigenous ecology has been preserved and enhanced, at the same time offers an experience-based educational environment to the locals and tourists. Based on the statistic at the end of 2021, the site has successfully transformed an abandoned quarry to a dynamic and sustainable public park that accommodates one million visitors per year. In addition, the Tangshan Quarry Park official management balance their maintenance for the heavily used public areas with the income of small retails and the playground for the financial support. It has satisfied the purposes of to restore the ecology, sustain the operation financially and socially, and set an example for the future sustainable development of such public realm in the region.
Tipologia | Restauració d'espais naturals |
Client | Nanjing Tangshan Hot Spring Tourist Resort Administration Committee |
Localització | Nanjing, China, Nanjing, Nanjing |
Àrea | 40 |
Cost | 1,313,000?/ha |
Any inici | 2017 |
Any finalització | 2019 |