The Gaoliying housing estate is situated on the outskirts of Beijing and has direct transportation links to both the city centre and the nearby airport.Landscape design plays a central role in the planning. Because of the massive scale of the development, the area is perceived as a landscape rather than a park. The existing river will be retained as a landscape element and developed into the centrepiece of the compound. The river-bed will be reactivated as an independent, functioning feature of the landscape and will be a key element in the revaluation and quality of the urban landscape within and beyond the compound.

The landscape design synthesises traditional typologies – landscape, park, square, street, promenade and garden. Following a developed system, the different typologies will be pieced together like building blocks to form a coherent whole. They structure the compound according to functional-organisational as well as designatmospheric concerns, and create a coherent environment that is highly enjoyable to live in and experience.

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