OBJECT TERRITORIES

PROJECTING THE WATERFRONT
Da Nang, Vietnam

Project
Public Park and New Market

Client
The City of Da Nang

Size
4.4 hectares / 10.9 acres

Collaborators
Ramboll Studio Dreiseitl, HTA+Pizzini, Arcadis

DA NANG SQUARE AS AN EXTENSION OF THE WATERFRONT

Backed by mountains to the West and bound by the coastline to the East, Da Nang is a city defined by the water’s edge.  The Han River carves a central figure through the city and is the spine for growth and new development.  With the completion of the new riverfront masterplan, the Han River waterfront will be the most significant public space in the city. The project for Da Nang Square is an opportunity to design a linear plaza and park that opens a generous portion of the central city to these new public spaces at the Han River’s edge. With future high density development, the importance of Da Nang Square as public space open to the river will only increase.

DESIGN STRATEGIES

A series of design strategies are layered to visually and physically integrate the waterfront with Da Nang Square. The negative space of the waterfront is drawn into Da Nang Square and integrated with the urban fabric. At the same time the entire site is used to collect and filter storm water as a public amenity. The existing Han Market is retained and transformed into a new market space wrapping a public plaza.

OVERALL SITE PLAN

The project is for a new city park for Da Nang that projects into the city and into the Han River waterfront. Various activities line blue and green spaces activating a vibrant park and a new green lung for Da Nang.

PARK LAYERS

Layers of grey, green, and blue shape and form the performance of Da Nang Square as a new public park.

AERIAL VIEW FROM THE WATERFRONT TO THE WEST

LONGITUDINAL SECTION PERSPECTIVE

The low sectional profile with no projecting buildings allows Da Nang Square to maintain an open view to the Han River, thereby acting as an extension of the waterfront.

VIEW INSIDE DA NANG SQUARE PARK

THE NEW HAN MARKET

A market is currently located on the site. After exploring a number of potential configurations, we rejected the idea of a freestanding object or series of objects distributed on the site as a new market. The courtyard typology had the most potential for framing public plaza and creating a new type of public space in the city. Therefore, in order to maintain the view to the river, we created a sunken market courtyard to frame a new public plaza for the city of Da Nang.

AERIAL VIEW OF THE NEW HAN MARKET

The sunken market frames a new public space and allows the architecture to be completely integrated with the landscape. The new market becomes a void as an object in the city.

PERSPECTIVE INSIDE THE NEW HAN PLAZA

The new Han Plaza becomes an active space for a multitude of uses. On a typical afternoon the spaces is used for casual market shopping, cafes, and general circulation.

NIGHT MARKET

At night, the entire market can spill out into the plaza creating a vibrant night market.

TET - VIETNAMESE NEW YEAR

During holidays, special events, and the Vietnamese New Year, the market can be a stage for public events, films screenings or the start of a New Year parade.

OVERALL PLAN OF THE MARKET AT GRADE

OVERALL LOWER LEVEL PLAN OF THE MARKET

Locating the market below grade creates an intimate setting for market activities while creating seamless connections to a new parking garage and loading facilities for the market.