ML+A won the international competition for the Haitang Bay Coastal Parks and Promenade project in collaboration with the local architecture firm of Sunrise Studios. The park sites are located along the Haitang Bay on the southest coast of Hainan Island in the South China Sea within 24 kilometers of the tourist destination of Sanya. The overarching concept is to create one interconnected park system along the coast that will provide an ecological framework for resort development. The highly discriminating resort clientele will have access to kilometers of pristine beaches and trails, enjoy botanical gardens, performance spaces, and environmental art.
The Haitang Bay Coastal parks will provide a setting for the luxury hotels and associated facilities that cannot be matched in competing areas such as Hawaii or the Mediterranean. Each of the 5 parks and beachfront promenade will observe the boundaries of their planning area but they can be extended and woven into the adjacent inland development via trails and habitat to provide greater access to the Island’s mountains and interior open space system. The coastal environment can be physically linked to the interior. The coastal parks will achieve the ultimate goal of sustainable development, to create better harmony and balance between human development and natural systems. All of the parks incorporate state of the art sustainable design reducing the impact of their own development and adjacent resorts to achieve a balance with nature.
