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Beijing Expo 2019

The New Silk Road garden, one of five by international designers at the Beijing Expo 2019, was created in collaboration with Professor James Hitchmough. It was inspired by the idea of the Silk Route crossing the dry central steppes of China from the East to the West.

The 1,500m² garden takes the form of a glade surrounded by woodland. This was done in part to create a sense of the garden being a bit separate from the rest of the Expo and so that the visual language of the garden was isolated from what was going on elsewhere. We thought it was important, within the scale of a large exposition, to create moments of enclosure and comparative intimacy. The heart of the garden is approached through an outer shell of woodland as this gives a stronger sense of presence and a feeling of arrival.

The East to West nature of the Silk Road is reflected in the biogeographic origins of the plants used across the garden, and the journey of each visitor through the garden. There is a message about the significance of China as a nation that spans from East to West and how new trade routes and methods of transport and communication are forever making the world a more connected place.

The Beijing Expo 2019 was the world’s largest ever gardening show and opened from April through until October.