L&A Design

Comprehensive Facilitator of a Better Environment

L&A Design is one of the leading cultural and creative companies dedicated to land planning, urban design, landscape architecture and resort planning in China. L&A was established in the year of 2001. Mr. Bo Li was responsible as Chief Designer until now. Ms. Clara Li joined L&A in 2002. Under her leadership, L&A has established branch offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Xi’an, Qingdao, Chengdu, Changsha, Zhengzhou, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Chongqing and Hangzhou，also sub-brand “V-onderland” ”Floral Fairyland”. Together they serve clients all over the great region of China. Till now L&A has accomplished about 3000 reputable landscape and urban design projects in China with many won national awards. L&A takes pride in its dynamic international design team, with over 1200 professionals from all over the world, as well as experienced local registered architects, landscape architects, planners and project managers.

L&A Design is a comprehensive service provider who devotes to creating a better living environment. As the premier landscape design firm in China, L&A Design delivers professional services throughout the creative-design-oriented EPC project lifecycle – planning and economic analysis, conceptual planning, ecological planning and design, urban design, landscape design, architecture design, interior design, soft decoration, children’s space and facilities research and development, children’s natural art education, VI design and product design, etc..

In accordance with the continuous marketing changes and development, L&A Design established a groundbreaking service system “Design, Building, Finance and Operation”(be short for D·B·F·O) to support cultural and creative tourist industry, new urbanization development and beautiful countryside construction, and realized the corporation value and vision. Meanwhile, for solving the practical problems and needs of contemporary China, a number of humanized and dynamic urban spaces and integrative cultural tourist projects were created or renovated with local features. By tourist market analysis, industrial operation modeling, tourist product design, ecological cultural landscaping, commercial space planning and diversified business planning, L&A Design integrates capital operation to establish a complete system of experiential industrial service from cultural and creative tourism planning to brand building, from site planning to project operation.

Be dedicated, be honest, create inclusive and free thoughts, and pursue excellence and sustainable innovation. Adhering to this corporate motto, L&A Design creates more and more beautiful and harmonious living environment for Chinese people with regional culture. Human settlement is being well protected, promoted and improved by L&A’s professional skills, sound value, unremitting pursuit of art and powerful creativeness.

Anshun Hongshan Lake Civil Park

The project is located in the core region and national scenic area in Anshun, Guizhou Province, China. There are different types of terrain with vertical changes, of which the maximum height difference is about 16 meters. In the south part, there was an area of woodland with existed poorly growing trees and messy weeds; while on the east and west sides, some shabby residential buildings were scattered. City development also did involve some destruction to the ecological environment.

According to the research on the surface runoff and eco-corridor by data models, the potential ecological risks of excavation and embankment work were determined, and the space function combing with geographic and geomorphic conditions in some vital nodes were improved. A sponge system was established to well adapt to the changes from the nature. Deal with the strategies, Low Impact Development was mainly adopted to restore resilient ecological communities.Function of places should not be limited to sightseeing and landscaping. Various functional spaces are built by the participatory and ground-based design skills to make sure that people at different ages could happily spend their time in many ways in the park. What was once a wasteland has been turned into a vibrant park, and becomes an ecological, healthy and agreeable life generator filled with vitality. This project emphasized eco-sustainable development, changed public stereotypes of parks, promoted the economic development of the surrounding area, and created an ideal model of renovative city park in China.

Tianjin Ganluxi Park

China-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City is a new model industrial zone with great international influence. It is co-built by the two countries to fight against climate change, so as to develop more green sustainable cities. Ganluxi Park is located at the core of urban green corridor in the Eco-City, “L” shaped with an area of 8.9 hectares. It is a former shallow-sea area, and a green belt is needed here as new kinetic green energy to be well integrated within the existed city vitality. While, most part of this offshore reclamation area is still under development or under construction. This landscaping project, as a green starter, is mainly featured to adapt to the recent and long-term development of the Eco-City: it should produce a pulling effect on the value of surrounding plots with its recent basic function, and also should provide more possibilities for the future use.

A lot of time was spent at first on searching the right methods to revitalize the ecological environment in the park. Finally, a “resilient sponge system” was born to improve the deteriorating salinized environment. The Eco-City is a new developing area in Tianjin. Less ideal public spaces are available to the residents here, of which Ganluxi Park is an ideal one. In view of this, the design team proposed an operable phased-construction plan to accelerating resilience onto the existed park site. An adaptable gradated open space system was firstly to be built on the existing spongy planting base with living filter elements. Space for further construction is well reserved by this flexible way.The “accelerating resilience” design concept has successfully improved the “sequelae” to the environment in Ganluxi Park – an offshore reclamation area.

OPUS ONE in Foshan, Guangdong

The design team explored a new nature experiential style of demonstration area in the project OPUS ONE in Foshan, Guangdong. It is an ideal space for escaping daily hustle and bustle, and enjoying simply fresh and tranquil ambience there. The existed site context was well protected, and six themed spaces were built which are Guide Way, Simple Trail, Ritual Portal, Memory Place, Heart’s Desire, and Restart Point. People could experience the rhythm sensation of space, see a peaceful meditative world with surprise from each space, and forget trivialities at that moment.

The banyan tree is an indelible scenery in the memory of Lingnan people. The designers retain the original natural framework of the site. They mark, select, remain, and relocate the native banyan trees on site. Also, the designers trim out a dense banyan tree plaza and gurgling river veins and use riverbank wooden stakes and sandstone to shape the edge, forming a natural transition of great harmony.Large original silvergrass was also preserved to abandon intentional artificial landscaping and to keep the original wild impression of the space. Paving bricks without edges imitate natural slate steps. The stone stool uses water patterns on both sides, with a smooth sitting surface and rough sides.The designer selected twelve hackberry trees in the central square to build a direct dialogue between the building and nature, and a longing for future natural life. During the design process, multiple versions of the plan were overturned, and the manual model was repeatedly polished. In the open courtyard, the trees and the moss cover are intertwined with light and shadow, and the regional culture and human memory are wrapped with each other.

Zhuhang Entry to Shenhai Expressway in NETDA

What is the relation between city and nature? It is a question forever. Nantong, a beautiful waterfront city in China, gives a powerful answer by its effective landscape architecture practice. Elements of city and nature are reasonably planed and well integrated. It is impressive for visitors to appreciate the cityscape with vibrancy and vitality. In accordance with the nice eco-environment of Nantong, “Green Wave”is themed on landscape architecture for the Zhuhang Entry at a local estuary. The undulating lawn occupies a huge area of the entry, facing to the east, representing hope and future. The huge lawn perfectly integrates with multi-layering plants, as a marvelous view of green wave. The lawn also functions as a great rainwater collector to reduce daily maintenance costs.

Zhuhang Expressway Entry is the most convenient entry to NETDA (Nantong Economic and Technological Development Area) business district which is planned as a large-scale CBD project integrating administrative offices, business offices, financial trade areas, also commerce, entertainment and high-end residential areas. With the fast development of south region in NETDA, local government paid more attention to constructing city image and protecting natural ecology. The site altitude differences are distinct. The design team did not rudely raze it to the ground to mechanically copy a “well-layered landscape” mode, or simply decorate ground-cover plants on it. Undoubtedly, it is a typically magnificent natural land art that need to be designed elaborately. Compared with the exquisite gardening design, the grand “Green Wave” undulating lawn is much more suitable for drivers’ visual experience on the expressway.

CIFI • Breeze Garden in Luzhi

CIFI Breeze Garden in Luzhi, Suzhou is a conceptual space design project on drifting time. Instead of traditional gardens, the design team conceived flowing space with maximum continuity of spatial sensory experience, and explored to create a community for young residents. This demonstration area was built as an art museum rather than a sale office. Time is vividly designed as a concrete object, playing in a harmonious way with space to create a strong visual sense. Detailed design is also emphasized in the backyard where there are several low-lying “pools” surrounding a tranquil woodland. It makes people get rid of the memory of strong visual sense in the front yard, to enjoy the cozy green world they are in at the moment.

In the limited space of the project site, more complex spatial sequences are created by cutting, twisting, and integrating, meanwhile, the abstract nature of time is vividly expressed and becomes a concrete and flexible object. It is just the distinctive highlight in this project.

We don’t want to discuss the design methods for a specific project in detail. What we are actually eager to explore in this project is the logic of space, the nature of design, and the true beauty.Also, it is a sense of power that we designers would like to convey in this project in a direct way of minimalism, without any complicated decorative elements. We don’t want to cater to the public deliberately with any “influencer marketing”. But the true beauty often easily achieve the most of preference from the public. It seems that the design concept of this project came out by chance. But it is actually based on the well understanding of the site, of the beauty essence on the site – mysteriously charming relation between human and space.