Nanjing Tangshan Geopark Museum
The Tangshan Relics Park as a standout project of international significance. The site is an ancient quarry, where significant human relics were discovered in 1993 within the Paleozoic era geologic formations. The project is an experiential and immersive gateway and forecourt for the new Nanjing Tangshan Geopark Museum, designed by architect Studio Odile Decq.
The gateway plaza and surrounding parkland connections define the public domain of the site, creating a ‘geopark’ and a major new international tourist destination for Nanjing. Sweeping forms reveal the geology and reinforce the site’s history and contemporary interpretation, while the design includes direct references to characteristics of the Paleozoic era, from the rocky microbes of the Cambrian landscape through to the Carboniferous swamp forests, embedded with carvings depicting the evolution of prehistoric life.
The project successfully integrates the often-competing needs of environmental responsibility and creating sustainable tourism, and the landscape architects are to be congratulated on the impressive outcome.
