It is our passion to design compelling and evocative spaces and places that stir the imagination and stand as precedents of design excellence.
In our approach, we blend innovation, sustainability strategies, ecology and biology, economics, architectural detailing, engineering, and identity of place - all in one discourse.
We work across the globe, conceptualizing and realizing public and private projects of all sizes. These include small intimate gardens, residential developments, private estates, urban master plans, public realms, parks, streetscapes, waterfronts, commercial developments, institutional campuses, the outdoor spaces of museums and recreational facilities, as well as other civic and cultural destinations.
Our attitude is collaborative, positive and optimistic, and we truly work across disciplinary boundaries while embracing unrestrained creativity.
For us, every project deserves a holistic approach in order to achieve the best possible outcome - socially, culturally, economically, and environmentally. We also consider what our design will mean for the adjacent context, as often our projects are found within historic settings. What impact will our design have on the identity of the place as a whole? What is the experience? And most important, how will our design work for people?
As dreamers and pragmatists, we are driven to come up with bold ideas that are rooted in functionality, meticulous detailing, and constructibility.
Our objective is to create designs which have embedded immersive and alluring qualities - that are refreshing, comfortable, and welcoming - spaces that are original and have never been seen before, that exude an inherent positive spirit and carry elements of surprise.
Our goal is always to establish an appropriate and unique character, ultimately resulting in a place that is memorable, frequently used, and loved.
Client: The City of Hangzhou - Project Partners: Archi-Tectonics, Thornton Tomasetti - Awards: 2022 Luban Award for Hangzhou Gongshu Canal Sports Park, 2022 Architizer A+ Award for Hangzhou Gongshu Canal Sports Park, 2022 PLAN Award for Hangzhou Gongshu Canal Sports Park
Gongshu Canal Sports Park - Hangzhou
Project Info
!melk’s competition-winning design for this 2023 Asian Games site in Hangzhou takes cues from the city’s rich history - which was once a robust silk production economy dating 4,000 years old, as well as the starting point of the maritime Silk Road. Inspired by the soft yet strong characteristic of silk fabric, the design of the Gongshu Canal Sports Park focuses on creating a significant public space that not only offers yet another major verdant urban haven with microclimate for the City, but also improves ecological resiliency at the regional scale.
Perhaps the most significant design idea that !melk brought to the table was to distribute the main sports venues over the two different parcels of the site. The objective of this strategy was to activate both park parcels with a major anchor. However, since the two park parcels were subdivided by a road and a canal, !melk subsequently had to conceive of a unique and original way to connect the two anchors and thus creating overall cohesion for the entire project.
!melk proposed the integration of a central sunken boulevard replete with shops and concessions which !melk named the “Valley Village Mall”. The aim was to establish a sunken commercial canyon to connect the Table Tennis Arena on the southern parcel with the Field Hockey Stadium on the northern parcel, while allowing for an uninterrupted green space at the park level.
Since the site was formerly farmland, the site’s layout required extensive reconfiguration with regard to hydrology. The extensive landform system throughout the park offers opportunities to create a functioning ecosystem for habitat creation and an efficient hydrological system that treats stormwater.
While the 2023 Asian Games instigated the initiative to transform this former agricultural area into a national destination, an important legacy of the Gongshu Canal Sports Park will be its qualities as a major eco-destination for the City of Hangzhou.
!melk’s competition-winning design for this 2023 Asian Games site in Hangzhou takes cues from the city’s rich history - which was once a robust silk production economy dating 4,000 years old, as well as the starting point of the maritime Silk Road. Inspired by the soft yet strong characteristic of silk fabric, the design of the Gongshu Canal Sports Park focuses on creating a significant public space that not only offers yet another major verdant urban haven with microclimate for the City, but also improves ecological resiliency at the regional scale.
Perhaps the most significant design idea that !melk brought to the table was to distribute the main sports venues over the two different parcels of the site. The objective of this strategy was to activate both park parcels with a major anchor. However, since the two park parcels were subdivided by a road and a canal, !melk subsequently had to conceive of a unique and original way to connect the two anchors and thus creating overall cohesion for the entire project.
!melk proposed the integration of a central sunken boulevard replete with shops and concessions which !melk named the “Valley Village Mall”. The aim was to establish a sunken commercial canyon to connect the Table Tennis Arena on the southern parcel with the Field Hockey Stadium on the northern parcel, while allowing for an uninterrupted green space at the park level.
Since the site was formerly farmland, the site’s layout required extensive reconfiguration with regard to hydrology. The extensive landform system throughout the park offers opportunities to create a functioning ecosystem for habitat creation and an efficient hydrological system that treats stormwater.
While the 2023 Asian Games instigated the initiative to transform this former agricultural area into a national destination, an important legacy of the Gongshu Canal Sports Park will be its qualities as a major eco-destination for the City of Hangzhou.