shma completes neri&hu’s le meridien zhengzhou with rolling landscape inspired by silk

shma designs sculptural landscape for le meridien zhengzhou

Landscape Architecture firm Shma Company Limited brings a sculptural green motif to Le Meridien Hotel in Zhengzhou, China. Located at an intersection in front of the existing five-star hotel, completed in 2013 by Neri & Hu, the small-scale renovation project unfolds as a 6,000 sqm landscaped area that folds and weaves across the open space. Being in a densely populated area, the expansive redesign set out to achieve an interactive, imaginative, and artistically crafted open space that doubles as a new landmark for the neighborhood in Zhengzhou, all the while resolving the lack of ground parking spaces and vehicular movement. 

undulating lawn stripes that weave & fold like silk 

Paying tribute to Zhengzhou’s historical textile weaving industry, Shma (see more here) created a sculptural-like design that weaves and folds to reveal an aesthetically pleasing public space facing Le Meridien (more here). A series of undulating lawn stripes represent the silk being woven – up and down – into fabric sheets by traditional machines. An interval space is defined by matching the existing lobby pillars and architectural orders to stitch the landscape and building together in the master plan, seamlessly integrated with the car parking layout. Completing the design is a water feature and sculpture sited in front of the lobby drop-off area, serving as a welcoming element. 

a play on color, material, and public/private layers 

Material-wise, the team used two different colors for the planters’ stainless steel finishing to emphasize the urban hotel’s unique public/private characteristics. When viewed from the roadside, the planters reveal a brilliant bronze color that adds energy and playfulness to the design, signifying the importance of this urban corner. Meanwhile, a reflective black material is selected to add a calmer layer when perceived from the hotel side, looking out. Given that there are massive structures of a new underground metro station beneath half of the landscaped spaces, the firm took great care in coordinating paving patterns, manholes, and planting soil depth. That includes camouflaging four ventilation shafts and an emergency staircase structure that pops up on the landscape, providing mirror finishes that make them disappear visually.

‘Once the landscape was completed, the whole hotel district was lightened by the wavy lawn stripe, the unified reflective water feature, and the interplay of reflection from mirrored planter finishes. It’s a privately owned public space that is quickly becoming a new gathering spot catered to a variety of activities, from a meeting spot for friends, a place for Instagram selfies, to a backdrop for wedding photoshoots. The landscape is perceived as a new landmark of the intersection and has drawn tremendous interest from both residents and visitors,’ concludes the team. 

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project info:

name: Le Meridien Hotel | @lemeridienhotels

location: Zhengzhou, China 

landscape architect: Shma Company Limited | @shma_company_limited

Shma team: Qiwen Huang, Thanapol Masuchand

design director: Prapan Napawongdee

architect: Neri& Hu | @neriandhu

horticulturist: Tanee Sawasdee

completion year: 2019

photographer: Arch-Exist | @archexist 

total area: 6,000 sqm