Thanh Long Baywalk / TA Landscape Architecture
Context –The baywalk is located on the natural rocky shore that creates a cape shape and forms a breakwater point with natural sandy beaches and green coconut forests, also known as Hon Lan Bay – Ke Ga Cape. Thanh Long Baywalk beach square is a design that integrates publicity with ecological orientation and solutions to create indigenous landscape highlights.
Concept – The Silky Strip AMONG the Coconut Forest: The square is formed by the spatial enveloping character of the column corridor integrating dragon fruit-colored “silk strip” inside the coconut forest. The structural columns of the bridge are shaped into straight coconut trees and blended in with the real trees thanks to their artificial bark made of fiber concrete. The juxtaposition of the Bridge (the Silky Strip) and the Column (the Coconut Forest) emphasizes the idea that the dragon fruit-colored silk strip is a promenade flowing in the sky, winding among the coconut canopy, creating a space to experience the coconut trees above and below and optimizing the view of the bay. We usually only walk under the coconut canopy and have a bottom-up view. Thanh Long Baywalk, however, allows you to touch and feel the coconut leaves from above.
The Moon Halo ABOVE the Milky Way: The inspiration came from an astronomy event in 1995 – the origin of Binh Thuan tourism development. The image of the moon hovering in the middle of the gateway to the inter-regional road creates a highlight that attracts travelers to stop and discover the image of Poshanu Cham Tower. The designers saw the similarity between the flesh of dragon fruits, a specialty of the land, and the starry night sky above the Binh Thuan Sea. Therefore, the metal cladding panels are perforated to represent the fruit’s “seeds” during the day and the starry sky when night falls. They create associations for the visitors to the square at different times.
The Wavy Sand BENEATH the Green Pebble: Paving is sand, and sand is paving. This is an ecological paving solution with the use of precast, self-compacting concrete bricks on natural sand, on the square floor, and on the roads, facilitating drainage to the ground. The artificial space is just a light touch on the ground. The greenery is formed from three layers of groundcovers-shrubs-coconut trees with sun-wind tolerant, low maintenance, indigenous species from the bay itself. They recreate green oases on the typical white sand background of Binh Thuan.
Connect – From a pristine arid land, the presence of the square serves as a connection between men and nature. Visitors can stride on the vast sand, touching the green coconut leaves, capturing the beauty of the picturesque bay, see up close, or even touch the “starry sky”.
Thanh Long Baywalk
“Dragon fruits float on leaves when it’s light,
Milky way to stroll upon in starry nights.”
