Press Release
Forest Heart Culture Center of Tartu by Yiqing Wu Wins the Silver A' Design Award in Landscape Planning and Garden Design
Yiqing Wu honored for landscape planning and garden design by the international grand jury of the 2023 - 2024 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 24, 2024 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Forest Heart Culture Center of Tartu by Yiqing Wu, designed for Vwa, has been granted the Silver A' Design Award in the Landscape Planning and Garden Design category. The award was conferred within the 2023 - 2024 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The Silver A' Design Award Explained
The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.
Regarding Forest Heart Culture Center of Tartu
Forest Heart envisages the transformation of an existing park into an emblematic public space and cultural center, offering an innovative urban design solution for Estonia. The design underscores the significance of crafting a versatile and ecologically astute environment that positions the park as a pivotal gathering point, fostering communal engagement and the celebration of the city's cultural identity. Forest Heart presents a distinctive landscape-centric urban design that pays homage to the nation's heritage.
About Yiqing Wu
I’m a landscape architect with 10 years of experience shaping ambitious, high-impact public spaces and campus landscapes. My project work includes the United Center new development, campus design for Ivy League Colleges, and signature public-realm environments in Seattle. Each requires rigorous coordination, design clarity, and a deep understanding of how people experience place at the city scale. My projects have received recognition from Built Awards, International Design Awards, MUSE Awards, A’ Design Awards, ASLA, among others.
Award Record
Yiqing Wu is a winner of 1 A' Design Award, including this recognition.
About the A' Landscape Planning and Garden Design Award
The A' Landscape Design Award is an international landscape design competition recognizing good landscape designs by leading architects and designers worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to landscape designers, urban planners, garden designers and municipalities from all countries. Entries typically include landscape designs, public parks, residential gardens, urban plazas, campus designs and green roofs. Awarded landscape designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/landscape-design
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/156393
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/156393
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!156393
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/350912
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Forest Heart Culture Center of Tartu
- Function
- Culture Center of Tartu
- Category
- Landscape Planning and Garden Design
- Discipline
- Spatial Design
- Industry
- Architecture and Sustainability
- Colors
- Dim Gray, Dark Slate Blue, Slate Gray, Dark Slate Gray and Light Slate Gray
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Vwa
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Yiqing Wu
- Country
- United States of America
- Recognition
- Silver A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2023 - 2024
- Design ID
- #156393
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Forest Heart envisages the transformation of an existing park into an emblematic public space and cultural center, offering an innovative urban design solution for Estonia. It underscores the significance of crafting a versatile and ecologically astute environment that positions the park as a pivotal gathering point, fostering communal engagement and the celebration of the city's cultural identity.
- Inspiration
- Estonia is home to a rich and diverse forest landscape with ancient woodlands, evergreens, forests, and other natural elements. However, Estonia has one of the highest rates of forest loss in Europe. Thus, the proposal, Forest Heart, aims to reinvigorate Central Park as an integrated forest park and cultural center. The solution provides flexibility by responding to urban initiatives and ecological intelligence to further fortify the site’s important asset to the city of Tartu.
- Research
- The prevailing vegetation within the original Central Park has been comprehensively examined with the assistance of an arborist and ecologist. Information pertaining to the biodiversity of Central Park has been systematically collected to discern the advantages of nature and the overarching ecological value of the park. Drawing upon this data, an assessment of the current condition of the park has been formulated, elucidating potential strategies for enhancement. Furthermore, engaging with the local populace has yielded valuable insights into their recollections, aspirations, and recommendations for the park.
- Challenge
- The Forest Heart initiative in the urban design proposal focuses on making the project sustainable and cost-effective by achieving net-zero building. The landscape near the cultural center is designed thoughtfully, considering factors like soil composition, slope stability, and erosion control during the balancing of cut and fill. The proposal aims to minimize tree removal by planting more native vegetation to strengthen the soil, enhance the look, and support local wildlife. Green features like green roofs, rain gardens, and bioswales are included for added sustainability.
- Realization and Technology
- The design proposal emphasizes the importance of giving the land back to nature. To achieve this goal, the design proposes to increase the number of trees in the park by almost 40 percent, creating an interactive landscape that links back to the country’s roots. This forest will offer a variety of activities, such as berry picking in the summer and winter cross-country skiing, making it a flexible space for people to enjoy all year round. Additionally, the design acknowledges the country’s versatile landscape by utilizing natural elements, such as bogs, to incorporate stormwater management for the area.
- Operation and Interaction
- The Urban design proposal focuses on two hikes - a Cultural Route connecting various programs used in different seasons, and a Landscape Route expanding the park’s activities year-round. Both hikes begin with a grand stair and offer flexibility and resilience to change. Visitors can explore the interconnectedness of the programs and the park’s capabilities, making it a dynamic cultural and recreational space. The design links programs in a loop, starting with a grand stair in the library, creating moments of park and museum connections to respect the shared values among programs: being together.
- Specifications
- The central zone delineated in this proposal spans dimensions of 260 meters by 120 meters. Furthermore, the urban design proposition comprehensively encompasses the redesign of the waterfront and the enhancement of streetscape infrastructure along the perimeters of the core area, extending along the four adjacent roads.
- Keywords
- Open space, Urban Design, Landscape, Central Park, Ecological Landscape, Native Plants
