XUHUI RUNWAY PARK

Xuhui Runway Park is a street and linear park project located in the Xuhui Riverfront Area, a former industrial zone of the Shanghai. The 14.63-hectare (36.15-acre) site was a runway for Longhua Airport, which operated for over 80 years and was Shanghai’s only civilian airport until 1949. The 1,830-meter (2,001-yard) long and 80-meter (87-yard) wide concrete runway was built in 1948 and used until the airport was closed in 2011. The park, developed together with the street, becomes an essential public space, for people and for the capture of rainwater, heat, and carbon. With its extensive resiliency measures, it has earned China’s first SITES gold rating. In addition to water capture, the proejct reuses much of the runway materials, paying homage to the site’s history as well as respecting the urban environment. 

2016-2020
36 acres
46 feet above sea level