Minimalistic forest in Houzou by by Utopia Lab

Created with the intent to be a surreal, recreational garden, this temporary space spans 3,296 square metres of land beside a sales centre for the Shanghai Huijian Investment Co in Zhejiang province. It begins with the ink garden, a circular pavillion constituted of 16 maple trees,at the centre, a reflective surface sorrounded by uneven dark rocks. 

The park then leads to the pavillion, an aluminium structure, coated in bright blue within the inside,three-petal shapes are perfored in the ceiling, casting interesting shadows within the structure. The outside court area consists of a canopy made of artificial three-petal trees. Visitors get invited to a sensorial experience through the place, thanks to sound installations, water features, located in the theatre in the woods, also encouraging play and gathering. 

The only contrasting feature is the carbon-fibre bonfire, a red and black cone woved by robotic arms.The final feature consists in a carousel, an interesting feature in my opinion that is ofen viewed as classic and old fashion in my opinion but succesfully integrated into a modernist landscape like this. 

As much as I'm fascinated by the project and by introducing public art at such a grand scale in our cities , I'm also very relieved that the approached used was for a pop-up garden. Simply because I believe in the biophilic and true nature aspect of our profession. The public park is innovative and ethereal, but the lack of liveliness would prevent long term engagement with the space. I also believe in using our power to be more sustainable as possible, which I don't think an artificial space as such could successfully deliver that potential. Although built with the intent to portray fiction, this project also reminds of the scary utopian reality that can present in the future if green space becomes unavailable to us due to climate change.