SWA

With the hypergrowth of new cities across rural China, agricultural landscapes have taken a back seat to rapidly emerging metropolitan hubs—but in Nanhu, a city defined by its agrarian legacy, a new model for agricultural living was established from the earliest stages of planning. Building on an existing tapestry of small farms and canals on the edge of Jiaxing, a city of three million people in the Yangtze River Delta, the plan for Nanhu consolidated a dense urban housing area alongside open parklands and a variety of farming operations, from large-scale productions to tourist- and family-oriented farms. Using the canal system as its organizing logic, a network of open spaces is anchored in a central park that winds through the city's heart, branching out into smaller corridors, plazas, and amenity spaces supporting nearly 37,000 new residents. This space is both an ecological and a community hub, featuring a flexible amphitheater to host concerts and festivals, sprawling gardens, and a library and community center. For large celebrations or national holidays, residents gather on the main bridge to watch fireworks over the water. With the recent addition of a high-speed rail line putting Jiaxing just a 20-minute ride from Shanghai and Hangzhou, the area is positioned for even further growth—and Nanhu serves as a paradigm shift for other emerging cities along the same line, creatively balancing the stress of rapid urbanization with ecological and cultural sensitivity to rural areas across China.

Read ULI New York's new report with recommendations from its expert Technical Assistance Panel, including SWA Principal Steven T. Lee, on transforming Morris Park into a destination for wellness and healthcare.   The report follows last month's approval of a Bronx Metro-North Station by the City Planning Commission.

Designed as an open "living room" for the Georgia Institute of Technology in Midtown Atlanta, Coda at Tech Square anchors a 755,000-square-foot tech facility in a cross-block commons and flexible communal space, seamlessly bridging activity between the building and surrounding neighborhood. SWA/Balsley worked with Portman Architects to realize the project's public space aspirations – bordered by retail frontage, a high-performance data center, two office towers, and the historic Crum and Forster building – as a local gathering place for Tech Square and Midtown. Its spatial arrangement and location ensure its success in connecting the intellectual capital of Georgia Tech with a growing business community. A giant interactive media wall provides a dynamic backdrop to the central space, underpinned by a linear banquette seat that reinforces clear lines of sight. Since its 2019 opening, the square has served a growing business community, with the overall district drawing companies like AT&T, Panasonic, Southern Company, Delta, Home Depot, Coca-Cola, NCR, and ThyssenKrupp.

SWA's work at Hoover Elementary, in partnership with Project Color Corps, BAMO, KABOOM!, and Steph and Ayesha Curry’s Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, was featured in a recent Forbes article on how color can improve connection to our environments. To transform the elementary school from a block of beige buildings and concrete surfaces into a vibrant space for the community, the team worked with students, parents, and educators to design a campus that better matches the school's dynamic student body. In addition to the landscape scope, in 2022, SWA took part in an event to expand the school's mural by painting the kindergarten's perimeter walls. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/e-dw6yU9

The Camellias, a high-rise residential enclave, exists within a larger 16-tower development. Described as a "dramatic green masterpiece" by Forbes, the grounds span twice the size of Central Park. Located just 20 miles outside New Delhi, the former agricultural area boasts sweeping views of the Aravali Range, seen from high above in the towers, to the hilly topography of the sprawling landscape. At the heart of Camellias lies one of the world's most distinguished and deeply considered well-being facilities: the Camellias Club (designed by Rockwell Group). Distinct from the residential towers, the club is surrounded by a water garden inspired by the geometry of the petals found on the Camellia flower- indigenous across subtropical Asia. At dusk, the lighting of the water gardens illuminates to map out a starry night across the grounds, mirroring the skies above when viewed from the residential terraces. Seating areas and walkways crisscross the pools, immersing residents in a watery landscape. With subtle grade changes, the paths rise and fall, creating a sense of parting waters as residents move through the landscape. The dense, canopied vegetation of the Cameillas provides multiple benefits for people and nature: shade, defined gathering spaces, bird habitat, and microclimate for special botanical species found only in Northern India.

Located in Southeast Houston, the University of Houston Law Center is home to three top-ten law programs since its establishment in 1947. Like nearly two-thirds of properties across the city, it's also vulnerable to flooding—most viscerally in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Allison in 2001, Hurricane Ike in 2008, and Hurricane Harvey in 2017, a trend only exacerbated by climate change. For the new LEED Silver-certified John M. O'Quinn Law Building, SWA collaborated with the school and Shepley Bulfinch to design a flood-resilient landscape that can store up to 400 thousand gallons of stormwater runoff, filtering water through a lush detention basin planted with native species. Crucially, the design also preserves the existing oak canopy—providing shade for students relaxing on the elevated deck between classes and maintaining the campus' character. On a day-to-day level, the new facility also carves out a wide variety of flexible spaces for collaboration, strengthening the sense of community within the school, breaking down the boundaries between the building, landscape, and campus, and better connecting the next generation of legal professionals with their surroundings.

The Children's Health Foundation recently announced a $100 million donation from the Jean and Mack Pogue family to support the new Dallas pediatric campus and future hospital grounds. SWA's design prepares the campus for future growth and incorporates walking paths to enhance connectivity. Several protected gardens allow for patient, staff, and family respite, and a central courtyard with monumental play features supports indoor-outdoor experiences. Read more about the project and donation: https://lnkd.in/eJEfcrWz

SWA is honored to be named an Impact Enterprise Awardee at the Texas Impact Enterprise Awards, hosted by SMU Hunter & Stephanie Hunt Institute for Engineering & Humanity. SWA Dallas represented the firm at the award ceremony, where they were recognized for leadership around social and environmental impact in Texas.

SWA is proud to be working with The Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza and fellow stakeholders to realize this public space transformation and honor a community hero. Read more and watch the full segment from ABC7 News Bay Area: https://lnkd.in/eZ-SqZ4S

Maestria Residences was named Masterplan Development of the Year - Indonesia 🏆 at the Real Estate Asia Awards! The project, officially launched in December, is located only an hour from Jakarta and provides residents with a close connection to nature without sacrificing a close sense of community. A vibrant hub of activity, Maestria Residences will serve as a powerful economic engine rooted in environmental, social, and economic wellness. Listen to SWA Principal Dhaval Barbhaya explore the master plan's four key principles: ecology, connectivity, mixed activity, and people-centric design. The master plan is developed over three phases, minimizing impact on the local landscape by designing structures around the gently rolling hills near Serpong. Lush landscaping runs through the community’s central artery, featuring abundant public green spaces and amenities, including a lake at the heart of the neighborhood. Travel beyond to experience the site’s rich natural character, including productive rice paddies specifically preserved to enhance the community experience. — Client: FARPOINT Team: Han Awal & Partners, URBAN+