Crafting Landscapes for the SCO Summit
Crafting Landscapes for the Summit: Tianjin's Splendor Unfolds in a New Scroll
— Tianjin Municipal Engineering Design & Research Institute Adorns the SCO Summit's "Urban Reception Room"
On September 1, 2025, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit successfully concluded in Tianjin. As the world's gaze turned to this coastal city on the Bohai Sea, a series of landscapes meticulously crafted by Tianjin Municipal Engineering Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "TMEDI") used ecology as the brush, art as the ink, and technology as the edge, vividly showcasing the beautiful form and profound essence of the "International Reception Room," becoming a touching touch of "Tianjin color" behind the summit.
I. "Cooperation and Win-Win" Turf Sculpture: Using Greenery as Language to Convey the "Shanghai Spirit"
Actual image of the "Cooperation and Win-Win" turf sculpture
As the core landscape of the Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center, the main venue of the summit, the "Cooperation and Win-Win" turf sculpture was the "first impression" of the summit for Chinese and foreign guests, carrying Tianjin's mission and warmth as the host. TMEDI, in collaboration with Master Jing Yumin's team from the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts, consistently aimed to artistically realize the "Shanghai Spirit," breaking through the limitations of traditional symmetrical composition in creation and choosing an atypical spherical structure as the carrier. Behind this decision lay countless innovative attempts and a steadfast commitment to safety verification.
Renderings of "Cooperation and Win-Win"
"The biggest challenge was balancing structure and meaning." The recollection of Li Fuxin, a designer from the Institute of Landscape Architecture, highlighted the core challenge of the creation. The joint team ultimately used green plants as their "pen and ink": on the surface of the sphere, the natural forms of plants outline the shapes of a soaring dove of peace and clasped hands, conveying the summit's key tenets of "mutual trust, equality, and consultation"; the "splash" design below the sphere echoes the city's characteristic as a "shore of the Bohai Sea," ensuring the landscape possesses not only artistic beauty but also regional identity and spiritual core.
On-site technical problem-solving
II. Friendship Road Dual Landscapes: Starry Sky Weaves Fantasy, Roses Forge Totem
Friendship Road, as an important welcoming route for the summit, was a key window to showcase Tianjin's style. TMEDI and Master Jing Yumin's team from the Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts formed a joint design team to create two landmark landscapes here – "Starry Sky Gate" and "Flower of Friendship" – allowing natural beauty and urban spirit to merge here.
Starry Sky Gate: The First Starry Sky-Themed Green Art Installation in China, Making the Universe "Within Reach"
The "Starry Sky Gate," standing in the Cultural Center Square, is the first large-scale green art installation in China with a starry sky theme. The main body of the green plant sculpture, 7.5 meters high with a 24-meter span, closely follows the theme of "harmony between humans and nature." During the day, it complements the "Full Moon Tower," and at night, it transforms with flowing lights into a "flowing Milky Way." Pentagrams shimmer among the greenery, flowers intertwine with light and shadow, offering viewers an immersive "plant universe" experience and interpreting a new green vision for this historic confluence of rivers.
To make fixed plants present the dazzling, flowing effect of a starry sky, the joint design team used the golden ratio to scientifically arrange four pentagrams: the largest one, 6 meters in diameter, stands upright at the center; the other three, with diameters of 4.8 meters, 3.6 meters, and 2.4 meters respectively, are arranged in a fan shape around it, rotated by 12°, 24°, and 36° respectively, cooperating to form a rotating visual effect.
Construction scene of "Starry Sky Gate"
By cleverly arranging five types of plants with different leaf colors, the joint design team developed a "three-dimensional mounting and tying method": first, a stainless steel frame creates the supporting structure for the starry sky curves, then specially formulated nutrient soil is used to cover and shape it. This not only creates a unified visual effect of a flowing starry sky but also highlights the summit's concept of diverse coexistence.
Night view of the "Starry Sky Gate" turf sculpture
Through a dual system of "drip irrigation + mist spraying," the necessary moisture for plant growth is ensured, while also achieving the purpose of cooling through misting during hot summers. The irrigation system activates after dusk each day, making each water droplet glisten under the lights, creating a realistic "starry sky" effect, becoming another highlight of this turf sculpture.
Now, this starry sky turf sculpture has become a popular spot for citizens. Children learn about constellations here, couples capture romance here, and astronomy enthusiasts organize stargazing events here. "It makes profound astronomy friendly and lovely," commented one parent, capturing the humanistic warmth of the landscape. More importantly, it pioneers a new model for thematic public green art – no longer merely a display of flowers, but using plants as a medium to tell stories, convey knowledge, and provoke thought.
Citizens visiting and interacting
Flower of Friendship: Embodying the City Flower, Shaping an Urban Spiritual Landmark
Adjacent to the "Starry Sky Gate," the "Flower of Friendship" sculpture draws inspiration from Tianjin's city flower, the rose, blending the softness of petals with the rationality of a cube. An 8-meter-high red sandstone sculpture interprets the Eastern aesthetic of "the coexistence of circle and square," subtly reflecting Tianjin's urban character of being "open yet steady."
To translate "coexistence of circle and square" from concept to reality, the team invested great effort: the design team created 3D models and dynamic simulation videos striving to showcase the beauty of the sculpture's light and shadow through the seasons. They adopted a combination of "contour lighting + internal transillumination + accent lighting," achieving a seamless switch between daily and celebratory modes, adding the finishing touch to the "city flower." To ensure the safety and stability of the 8-meter-high, 80-ton sculpture, the joint design team finalized a plan of "pile foundation + reinforced concrete bearing platform," precisely controlling the pile depth and concrete mix ratio to solidify the "root system," and selected warm, durable red sandstone to solve the problem of fragile details.
Refinement of the "Flower of Friendship" sculpture model and scene simulation
Selection of red sandstone as the raw material
"Creativity meets persistence, technology blends with art." This "Flower of Friendship" is not only a new landmark for the landscape park but also a totem carries the city's spirit, narrating Tianjin's pursuit of a better living environment.
Actual image of the "Flower of Friendship" sculpture
III. "Global Unity" Sculpture: Using Stone as Bone, Tying Bonds of Friendship
"Global Unity" was the highlight of the welcoming route from Tianjin Airport. The Institute was responsible for the construction drawing design and on-site coordination of the sculpture. With a total height of 18 meters, the sculpture features four robust granite stone pillars extending upwards, twisting and weaving to form a giant "Unity Knot".
Daytime view of the "Global Unity" sculpture
Night view of the "Global Unity" sculpture
Under sunlight, the resolute stone blends with the gentle knot, fully displaying strength and beauty; at night, flowing LED lights endow the traditional symbol with technological charm. Through the imagery of the "Unity Knot" and "ribbon," the sculpture conveys the concept of a community with a shared future, perfectly integrating into the airport avenue environment. It not only serves as a guide for the city's image but also highlights Tianjin's unique character as an open, inclusive, modern socialist metropolis.
After the design was finalized, the Institute's design team focused on artistic presentation and structural safety, transforming the creative idea of the "Unity Knot" into detailed construction drawings combining a steel structure frame with a granite facade, while also incorporating parameters for the LED lighting system.
During the construction phase, the Institute's design team remained on-site throughout, advancing the process according to a "segmented operation" model: during foundation construction, both parties repeatedly calibrated the reinforcement layout to ensure it met the load-bearing requirements for the 6.3-meter diameter base; during the main structure installation phase, they adjusted the splicing joint drawings on-site, focusing on the precision of the interwoven stone pillars to ensure the visual effect combining strength and softness was achieved; during the lighting调试 phase, they optimized the circuit layout based on on-site light and shadow changes, ensuring the "Global Unity" sculpture was captivating both day and night.
IV. Jiefang North Road Renewal: Repairing the Old as Old, Revitalizing the Century-Old "Oriental Wall Street"
Jiefang North Road, located in the core area of Heping District, once known as the "Oriental Wall Street," is an important carrier of Tianjin's history and culture. During the summit, the challenge was to allow this century-old street to retain its historical charm while meeting modern needs. Adhering to the original intention of "managing disorder to create order, utilizing the old and practicing economy," and guided by the principles of "maximizing reuse and minimal intervention," TMEDI embarked on a renewal practice that balanced historical inheritance with contemporary demands.
The team rejected the extreme models of "museum-style static preservation" or "large-scale demolition and construction renovation," instead adopting a strategy of "layered respect, sequential repair, and functional symbiosis": from the greening around large hotels to the building facades, lighting signage, and landscape features along 11 roads, systematic enhancements were carried out one by one; every brick wall, every stone joint was carefully tended to, allowing the historical context to continue into the present.
Now, strolling along Jiefang North Road, the restored heritage buildings fully display their century-old elegance. The historical spirit of the Astor Hotel blends with modern services, livelihood shops like the Chengde Road Bun Shop operate normally. The old street has not lost its vitality due to renovation; instead, it has regained vigor through "new-old balance," becoming an important window during the summit to showcase the blend of Tianjin's history and modernity.
Comparison of heritage building restoration before and after
Astor Hotel history and renovation effect
Comparison of Chengde Road Bun Shop before and after renovation
V. Tianjin Eye Lighting: Bringing the City Landmark "Alive" at Night
The "Tianjin Eye," one of Tianjin's representative landmarks, is also a classic work of TMEDI's bridge expertise. For this summit, the design team upgraded its lighting, aiming not simply to "change the lights" but to "make the Tianjin Eye 'come alive' at night."
The team focused on the Ferris wheel's spokes, installing a set of laser engraving projectors each on the upstream and downstream sides. Without damaging the original structure, and solely through the precise coordination of external equipment, various colored lights form dynamic images on the spokes. During construction, every step—from calibrating the installation positions of the equipment to adjust the light brightness—strived for optimal results.
When night falls, the laser projectors activate, and the giant wheel of the Ferris wheel gradually lights up. The lights sometimes twinkle like stars, sometimes encircle like colored ribbons. This "glowing bridge" at the Sancha River Estuary is no longer just a transportation and recreational facility; it seems a dazzling crown coronating the city, overlapping into a warm and dreamy night scene, becoming the "highlight moment" of the Hai River nightscape during the summit.
Actual image of the upgraded "Tianjin Eye" Ferris wheel lighting
VI. The Grand Event Concludes, Memories Endure: Preserving Urban Warmth with Craftsmanship
As the summit's applause faded by the banks of the Hai River, every landscape created by TMEDI transformed into a "living memory" of this city: the vibrant "Shanghai Spirit" within the "Cooperation and Win-Win" turf sculpture, the plant-based starry river of the "Starry Sky Gate," the blend of strength and softness in the "Flower of Friendship," the century-old bricks and tiles of Jiefang North Road, the dazzling light and shadow of the "Tianjin Eye"—they are not soulless projects but a "urban dialogue" woven with craftsmanship and creativity.
Through this practice, TMEDI, with "artistic empowerment, technological support, and humanistic empathy," powerfully interpreted the profound significance of urban renewal. It never pursues momentary splendor for the event but aims to leave behind a "touchable, perceptible, and inheritable" warmth for the land. It allows everyone living here or arriving here to read Tianjin's past, love Tianjin's present, and anticipate Tianjin's future. This is the Institute's finest adornment for the "International Reception Room," and a sincere expression of the deep affection poured into the city.
