Land of Giant Pandas

THE LAND OF GIANT PANDA
One of Three Winning Teams
The Winning Bid for Beihu Area
 Background and Philosophy
1. Project Background
The giant panda is a rare species and national treasure of China, which is the most popular animal around the world and loved by nearly every. By studying, we find an interesting opinion that people’s love for pandas is fully psychologically based. According to “Baby Scheme” theory and “Neoteny”, people have a preference for childish animals. Like pandas, they are characterized by a small round face, a high and large forehead, and lender's eyebrows etc. This perception can make the person releases a positive emotion, produce fondness and raising impulse. Thus, pandas present natural durability. When metropolis is witnessing a fast-paced lifestyle and globalization, this healing power or relation is invaluable, which can reduce stress, boost consumption, improve cities’ competitiveness etc.

2. Planning Philosophy
Inspired by the philosopher Martin Buber, "In the beginning is the relation, a category of being. The extended lines of relations meet in the external 'Thou'. The universe is not in the ‘I' but between ‘I and You'". From the perspective of relationship philosophy or life community, we find that the full meaning of panda has multiple layers of "biology", "culture" and "relationship".

 Overall Planning
3. Overall Positioning, Vision and Principle
In Chengdu, the habitat of giant pandas, we are expecting to explore the relationship between humans and pandas, humans and nature, and to build a friendly city of harmonious coexistence of human and nature. Leverage the influence of giant panda cultural and tourism brands to make Chengdu an animal-friendly and human-friendly city with a world-class influence.

Finally, we hope the planned area of 69 square kilometers (including three parts) could create a bright future of humans and pandas, through the process of "encounter", "esteem" and "effulgence" between human beings, giant pandas and nature.

Starting from "human-friendly" and "animal-friendly". The principle of "ecological continuity" and "organic interaction" was applied to the three major regions from industrial planning, overall planning, and specific design.


4. Development Strategies and Goals
Including three strategies for industry, culture, and theme, the plan makes three independent sites into the “core engines” of western, central and eastern parts at the Chengdu scale, leading new urban development in Chengdu. Thus,
 Beihu area (encounter) is to position a world-class panda protection demonstration site and the source of panda culture focusing on scientific research and protection, public education, tourism, and recreation.
 Dujiang Yan area (esteem) is to build a world-class ecological education demonstration base and tourist destination emphasizing reintroduction training, natural education and natural experience.
 Longquan Shan area (effulgence) is to create a beautiful and friendly world for human and animals in the future underlining cultural innovation, smart intelligence, and sustainable ecology.



 Beihu Area’s Planning
5. Site Challenges & Strategy & Structure
Beihu is the most popular tourist attraction in Chengdu, and tourists meet pandas for the first time here. The area now faces several challenges: the complex built-up environment has insufficient capacity for the panda base and also traffic congestion. Therefore, the design team hopes to expand the function of the area and create special space to realize the wonderful encounter between people and giant pandas. Under the strategy of ecological continuity and organic interaction, the new plan with the spatial structure of “one belt, two main areas, and three assisting areas” is planned.

6. Core Project 1: Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (Expansion)

In order to create a more natural environment for giant pandas and their associated animals, our team discussed with the experts of CAS about the requirements of the giant panda habitat in aspects such as environment, terrain, sunshine etc. After exploring various possibilities in spatial layout, the design finalized the animal-friendly model in giant panda base expansion. The panda base program will be launched in 2019 as a start-up project in the Beihu, with the construction of 92,000 square meters, an investment of 1.28 billion RMB, and 8 million visitors per year.

In addition, in the design of the giant panda captive facilities (which are the home to juvenile giant pandas, adult giant pandas, breeding giant pandas and old giant pandas), we consider from two major challenges in giant pandas’ artificial breeding – difficulty in estrus and the need of animal welfare. Therefore, we create a public space in the adult giant panda house. Only one adult panda is released to this space at a time, and it will leave its own smell in the shared space. This measure is expected to promote mutual attraction between the pandas and help pandas’ breeding. Meanwhile, the space designed for the old panda is more private and quiet.

7. Core Project 2: Panda Town
After visiting the panda base, visitors can go to its extension function area, “Panda Town” to further experience the panda culture and the local customs in Sichuan. To be China’s most interesting panda theme town, it includes four functions: public education, commercial and leisure, creative industry, hotel, and vacation. The architectural form of the four function areas is characteristic by courtyard style, fishbone street style, water street style, and pan style respectively.

As a landmark of the entrance area, there will be a pavilion displaying the panda culture, which also will be access to the future subway. In the architectural form design, take the Tai Chi form with local cultural characteristics, and use an "S" curve to illuminate the underground plaza and the exhibition venue and it also extends to the Panda Base through the pedestrian bridge.