Firm： ASPECT Studios

Type： Commercial › Exhibition Center Office Retail Landscape + Planning › Masterplan Public Park Urban Green Space

STATUS： Built

YEAR： 2020

The Hyperlane is emblematic of ASPECT Studios’ ambitions for cities in China. Taking the form of a 2.4km multi-level linear sky park at the heart of the music and arts university district in Chengdu, the Hyperlane establishes a vibrant and fun public space that stimulates community building and social connection. 

A replacement for a disused carpark, the project is a substantial contribution to the local urban environment that considers human comfort, safety, accessibility, and scale, to the benefit of the daily lives of Chengdu’s arts community. 

The first stage of the project is the Urban Gallery, a social space that comprises an urban promenade, “Water Carpet” landscape, and performance gallery.  

The project brings true value to the daily lives of community and allows nature and natural systems into the heart of the design. It represents a push by ASPECT to stimulate a new consciousness within the Chinese development industry –– one that focuses first on people to produce commercial results. 

The most striking element, the Water Carpet is designed to allow for visual connectivity whilst creating a mesmerising sense of arrival and transition. The combination of shallow water, playful edges, lighting displays, contrasting materials and textures, and lush planting, results in a theatrical and contemplative experience. 

The future will bring new and complementary additions to the Urban Gallery, including the Performance Gallery – a curatable urban catwalk that will be home to open-air theatre, exhibitions, and cultural gatherings. A Social Terrace, to the east, will be a comfortable and intimate space protected by a tree canopy and a lighting scheme that renders it safe for gatherings at any time.