Nanjing Tangshan Geopark Museum

China’s Nanjing Tangshan Geopark is a sprawling tourist parkland. It’s also the site of one of the world’s most fascinating archaeological finds. 

The park and its Great Relic Museum celebrate the 1993 discovery of Homo erectus nankinensis fossils – the Nanjing Man – and take visitors on a journey through the site’s history and landscape.

Our master plan and design for the public realm connect the park’s archaeological landmarks with the museum – balancing commercial aspirations, tourist needs and environmental responsibility.

Our tiered design for the gateway plaza echoes the surrounding Tangshan hills and the museum’s contours. It creates scenic moments and access between the sights, amenities and planned transport infrastructure.

From the museum, visitors can explore 15 hectares of parkland. Our master plan unifies the geopark – including the limestone Hulu Caves where the ​‘ape-man’ fossils were found – while creating a foundation for the geopark’s sustainable development. 

Client

Nanjing Tangshan Construction Investment and Development Company

Location

Tangshan, China

Status

Completed

Year

2015

Scale

15ha

Collaborators

Shanghai Julong Green Land Development Co Ltd

Design team

Andrew Wilkinson, Walter Ryu, Yulun Liao, Eric Lee, Liangliang Wang, Shuping Ye, Angus Bruce

Photographer

Johnson Lin

“The project successfully integrates the often competing needs of environmental responsibility and the creation of sustainable tourism. The landscape architects are to be congratulated on the impressive outcome.”

Jury 2016 AILA National Awards

The parkland design regenerates native vegetation and creates micro eco-systems that will foster the local habitat. 

A cleansing, bio-retention waterway will treat site run-off to support the health of the natural environment and the sustainable operation of the park.

The museum plaza opened to the public in 2015, and we are currently working on design development for the Tangshan Ape-man Cave Park surrounding the excavation site. 

Construction of the wider parkland is progressing in stages, with feature gardens inspired by each period of the Paleozoic era part of the plan. From the rocky microbial soil crust of the Cambrian landscape through to the Silurian wetlands and Carboniferous swamp forest, the plants and elements within these sensory gardens will capture the essence of ​‘prehistoric’ times. 

  • 2016 Winner ​‘Australian Institute of Landscape Architects National Awards – Award of Excellence – International’
  • 2014 Winner ​‘Hong Kong Institute of Landscape Architects – Silver Award – Landscape Conceptual Design’
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