HANOI, VIETNAM
East Lake City Ecological Park
SIZE 36ha, 89 acres / STATUS Completed, 2022 / DESIGN TEAM Balmori Associates, CAL, ARUP, Thornton Tomasetti
In 2021 Balmori Associates was commissioned to design the central park of a mixed-use development in the southwest suburb of Hanoi, Vietnam. The architectural scope integrated into the park includes a hotel associated with an École Hôtelière, a commercial pedestrian street, and a multipurpose center.
The park’s master plan is generated by a system of three loops that circles around and across the 20-hectare-lake. The paths’ width and material selection emphasize the character of each loop. The active, cultural, and nature loops create multiple ways of experiencing the park and provide activities for all users. The active loop includes jogging, cycling, athletic tracks, sports fields, picnics, playground, dog park, kayaking, and climbing among others; the culture loop, a sculpture walk, cooking and barbecue areas, viewpoints, a square dedicated to natural evolution and an Iris Collection; and the nature loop, a walk through a forest ecosystem, wetland and swamp areas, bird watching, floating islands, and lotus gardens, among others.
When combining the loops, the experiences of the park are multiplied and make each visit different and exciting. Additionally, the planting strategy highlights the character of the spaces around the lake with distinct blooming period, thus creating a new layer of experiences that varies at the rhythm of the seasons.