Xiaogan West Red Maple Service Area is located in Dougang Town, Xiaogan City. It sits along the Xiao-Han-Ying Expressway
which is an important part of the Wuhan Metropolitan Ring Road. With the new development concept of “Highway +
Tourism” – the integration of transportation and tourism, Xiaogan West Service Area will serve as the engine of the area,
attracting the large passenger flow of Wuhan metropolitan, enhancing the Red Maple Forest branding, and constructing
ecological leisure and tourism complexes. Xiaogan West Service Area will also be the anchor point for the surrounding
villages, seedling bases, and agricultural sites. It will be a new model for rural revitalization in China.
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Xiaogan West Red Maple Service Area Master Planning
Urban Design (Under Construction)
Firm
ZDG Design
Architect/Designer
ZDG Design
Design Team
LIANG Zhao, LIAO Siyong, LING Yuting, HUANG Yang, HE Jiakun
Location
Xiaogan, Hubei, China
Country
China
Photographer/Copyright
©ZDG Design
Social Media Handles:
Website
N/A
The service area is radiated by Wuhan metropolitan that is 75km away from Wuhan city center. The ser vice area enjoys an excellent landscape resource. It is surrounded by water landscape as well as a dense red maple forest on the northern part.
Taking the ser vice area and red maple forest on both sides as the core area of the project (approximately 147 acres), and the surrounding villages, red maple seedling bases, ecological agricultural bases, etc., as the expansion area (approximately 1850 acres), comprehensive planning for the development of tourism resources. Xiaogan West Red Maple Ser vice Area has become a comprehensive complex integrating travel and leisure experiences such as rest, specialty dining, red maple appreciation, forest art and culture, countryside exploration, and rural activities.
Using American red maple as the characteristic planting material of the ser vice area blurs the boundaries between inside and outside the service area, allowing visitors to feel as if they are in a red maple forest while within the service area. A “red maple ribbon” serves as a promenade connecting inside and outside the service area, establishing a comprehensive pedestrian system across the area. The red maple promenade safely, comfortably, and conveniently guides visitors to the red maple- themed nodes inside and outside the service area, not only serving as a beautiful scenic route but also enhancing the playability of the service area.
At the entrance of the service area stands a spirit fortress representing the essence of the Red Maple Service Area. The gate sign abstracts the form of the red maple and extracts geometric elements of maple leaves, while also integrating traditional patterns, making it highly recognizable both day and night. Inside the service area, specially designed signage and lightboxes with red maple elements are placed, making the red maple gene ubiquitous. Additionally, solar carports with red maple elements cleverly integrate red maple elements into the two major development themes of transportation and energy.
The red maple-themed highway service area achieves an organic integration of functionality and aesthetics through its innovative eco-friendly shaded parking canopy design. The canopy cleverly incorporates the vertical clustering patterns of woodland vegetation, featuring staggered tree crown-like structural units whose form, color, and texture visually extend into the surrounding maple forest, allowing the man-made structure to seamlessly blend into the natural environment. Breaking
away from traditional flat designs, the shading system adopts a three-dimensional biomimetic tree- canopy structure. While fulfilling its fundamental functions of sunshade and rain shelter, it creates a breathable ventilation system through its spatial architecture.
The east and west sides of the service area have been tailored to create maple-themed landscape parks according to local conditions. The west side is the Maple Forest Terrace, providing visitors with a place for dining, rest, and camping activities; the east side is the Maple Creek Valley, where the waterfront promenade, combined with pergolas, seating, swings, and other leisure facilities, provides visitors with a water-side red maple viewing experience. The two theme parks on the east and west sides expand the activity space and landscape connotation of the service area, jointly creating a red maple-themed leisure park with the core service area.
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