Kunshan City Square: The Above-Ground Landscape Architecture

The square in front of the Kunshan Municipal Government, together with its subway station, has underwent a comprehensive transformation since 2022. Our practice was commissioned to design the above-ground architectural landscape, which has been completed and opened to the public in 2025.

Every city in China has its central square, often monumental in scale, yet empty and uninviting. The failure lies in their lack of program. In this renovation project, we focused on designing urbanity by curating effective programs in place for the public and landscaping for inhabitation. The meandering corridors not only intimates courtyards for different events, but also provide shelters. The glowing “floating boxes" conceal the subway infrastructure along with hosting retail and exhibition. Embedded with swaying-column system, the corridor canopy remains light and dynamic, floating like ribbons with unobstructed sightlines. Since its completion, the square has become animated with life, which has evolved from a symbolic showcase into a civic space that truly serving the public.