Nanhua Glimmer by Atelier Lets and JR Architects Transforms Decommissioned Campus into Community Park

How Government Organizations Create Award Winning Community Spaces through Landscape Design that Honors Regional Identity

What happens when a government organization looks at an abandoned school campus and sees mountain mist, pineapple fields, and the collective memory of an entire community? The result, as demonstrated in Pingtung County, Taiwan, is something rather extraordinary. The transformation of a decommissioned educational facility into the Nanhua Glimmer landscape park offers a compelling case study for government bodies, municipal planning departments, and public institutions seeking to convert underutilized assets into beloved community landmarks.

Government organizations worldwide face a fascinating challenge: how to create public spaces that serve practical functions while simultaneously nurturing regional identity and community connection. The challenge of creating meaningful public spaces becomes particularly interesting when the canvas is not empty land but rather an existing structure with its own history and context. The Pingtung County Government, working with the design team Atelier Lets and JR Architects, approached the transformation challenge with an ambitious vision that has since earned recognition from the A' Design Award in the Landscape Planning and Garden Design category.

The Nanhua Glimmer project demonstrates that government-commissioned landscape design can achieve multiple objectives simultaneously. The space functions as a community park for residents and elderly visitors, serves as the welcoming landscape for the Pingtung AI Agriculture Hub, and operates as an ecological education platform. Perhaps most importantly, the Nanhua Glimmer landscape captures something intangible: the visual memory of gazing toward mountains shrouded in mist and clouds. For organizations considering similar transformations of public land, the Nanhua Glimmer project offers valuable insights into how thoughtful design can honor local heritage while serving contemporary community needs.

Understanding Adaptive Reuse in Government Landscape Projects

Government organizations often inherit properties that no longer serve their original purpose. Schools close due to demographic shifts. Industrial facilities become obsolete. Agricultural infrastructure falls into disuse. The question then becomes not whether to do something with underutilized properties, but how to reimagine abandoned spaces in ways that create lasting value for communities.

The Nanhua Glimmer project began with a decommissioned school campus in Gaoshu Township, Pingtung County. The site presented both constraints and opportunities that shaped the design approach. Mature trees dotted the grounds, representing decades of growth that would be impossible to replicate quickly. The surrounding context included the distinctive landscape of Taiwan's Pingtung region, with pineapple fields stretching toward mountain ridges that catch mist and clouds in patterns familiar to every local resident.

Adaptive reuse in landscape design differs fundamentally from building adaptive reuse. When transforming a building, designers work within existing walls and structural elements. When transforming a landscape, designers must instead work with living systems, established ecosystems, and the subtle topographical features that define a place. The Nanhua Glimmer project required careful planning of facilities and structural foundations specifically to protect existing tree roots, ensuring that the mature canopy would continue to provide shade and ecological value for future generations.

For government organizations, the Nanhua Glimmer approach to adaptive reuse offers a model of resource stewardship. The campus already existed. The trees had already grown. The community already had memories and associations with the location. Rather than erasing existing assets and starting fresh, the design team built upon the campus foundations, adding new layers of meaning while preserving what already held value. The philosophy of accumulation rather than replacement represents a particularly relevant approach for public projects where taxpayer resources must demonstrate clear returns to the community.

Translating Regional Identity into Geometric Form

One of the most sophisticated aspects of the Nanhua Glimmer project lies in how the design translates natural landscape features into designed elements. The continuous curvature of the concrete retaining walls does not occur by accident or purely for aesthetic effect. The curving walls echo two distinct aspects of the regional landscape: the organized rows of pineapple fields that characterize local agriculture and the folded profiles of mountain ridges that define the horizon.

The translation of regional identity into geometric form represents a design methodology that government organizations can apply across many contexts. The approach begins with observation and research. What visual patterns define a particular place? What natural phenomena do residents associate with home? What materials and construction techniques carry cultural resonance? For Pingtung County, the answers included the geometric patterns of cultivated fields, the organic curves of mountain topography, and the traditional terrazzo construction methods familiar to local builders.

The terrazzo finish on the retaining walls deserves particular attention. Rather than importing materials or techniques that might appear foreign or institutional, the design team specified traditional terrazzo using local construction methods. The choice of traditional terrazzo serves multiple purposes. Economically, traditional terrazzo supports local contractors and craftspeople. Aesthetically, traditional terrazzo creates surfaces that feel familiar rather than alienating. Practically, terrazzo provides durability appropriate for public infrastructure that must serve communities for decades.

Government organizations often struggle to create public spaces that feel authentic rather than generic. The tendency toward standardized specifications and lowest-bid construction can produce parks and plazas that could exist anywhere and therefore feel connected to nowhere. The Nanhua Glimmer approach offers an alternative: specifications that explicitly reference and respond to regional characteristics, creating spaces that could only exist in the Pingtung location.

Engineering Atmosphere Through Dual Purpose Technology

Perhaps the most innovative technical achievement in the Nanhua Glimmer project involves the mist generating system. At first consideration, creating artificial mist might seem merely decorative. In the Nanhua Glimmer project, however, the mist serves both practical and experiential purposes, demonstrating how thoughtful engineering can address multiple objectives through single interventions.

The design team spent the initial three months of the project investigating wind direction and environmental conditions. The research phase informed the development of new irrigating facilities created in collaboration with local suppliers. The resulting system uses fine spraying nozzles that achieve two simultaneous goals: providing sufficient water for plants and creating a misty atmospheric effect that evokes the natural mountain mist of the region.

Mountain mist holds particular significance for local residents. At night, natural mist flows along the ridges, creating radiances around streetlights visible from a distance. The phenomenon of mist and glimmering light represents collective memory, a shared visual experience that connects residents to their landscape. By recreating the misty scene within the park, the design generates visual memories and emotional associations that deepen the park's meaning for visitors.

The integration of the mist system with lighting deserves attention for the system's practical intelligence. Light strips embedded in installations disperse illumination evenly across the space. The combination of mist and light creates the glimmering effect that gives the project the name Nanhua Glimmer. The integration of mist and lighting also provides safety during evening hours when the mist effects are most visible and atmospheric.

For government organizations considering similar projects, the dual purpose approach demonstrated at Nanhua Glimmer offers a template for maximizing value from infrastructure investments. Rather than installing an irrigation system and separately adding decorative elements, the Nanhua Glimmer team created a single system that serves both functions. The philosophy of integration reduces costs, simplifies maintenance, and creates more cohesive experiential outcomes.

Opening Boundaries to Build Community Connection

One of the most significant decisions in the Nanhua Glimmer project involved removing the former school campus wall. Removing the boundary wall required negotiation and agreement with the client and relevant authorities, representing the kind of institutional coordination that distinguishes government projects from private development.

The removal of boundaries serves multiple strategic purposes. Physically, boundary removal allows the new greenery and lighting to connect with the surrounding context. The park no longer exists as an isolated precinct but instead flows into the neighborhood, creating a more inviting atmosphere for local residents. The openness of the redesigned campus transforms the relationship between the park and the surrounding community from one of separation to one of integration.

The design team approached boundary dissolution thoughtfully. Simply removing walls without additional design intervention might create uncomfortable ambiguity about what is public and what is private. By introducing lighting systems that extend to the surrounding area, the design creates a gradient of publicness rather than a hard edge. Residents approaching the park experience a gradual transition from neighborhood to parkland, each space informing and enriching the other.

The approach of dissolving boundaries carries particular relevance for government organizations seeking to create spaces that communities actually use. A walled compound, however beautifully designed within the compound's boundaries, communicates exclusion. An open landscape that flows into the surrounding neighborhood communicates welcome. For the Nanhua Glimmer project, which serves as the entrance landscape for the AI Agriculture Hub while simultaneously functioning as a community park, the welcoming quality of openness proves essential to achieving both institutional and public objectives.

Designing Accessibility as Foundation

The Nanhua Glimmer project incorporates barrier-free passages throughout the 18,106 square meter site area. The accessibility infrastructure was not added as an afterthought or a compliance requirement but instead shaped the fundamental design approach from the beginning.

One specific challenge involved the existing topography of the decommissioned campus. Height differences across the site created potential barriers for visitors with mobility limitations. Rather than accepting the level changes as fixed constraints, the design team worked to eliminate height differences across the project site, creating continuous accessible routes that allow all visitors to experience the full landscape.

The comprehensive approach to accessibility at Nanhua Glimmer reflects a design philosophy that government organizations would do well to consider. Accessibility features added after the fact often feel exactly that way: bolted on, visually distinct, clearly separate from the primary design intention. Accessibility designed from the beginning disappears into the overall experience. Ramps become sculptural elements. Smooth surfaces become design features. The resulting spaces serve everyone while appearing seamlessly designed.

For government organizations, an accessibility-first approach also simplifies procurement and construction. When accessibility requirements shape initial specifications rather than triggering change orders and modifications, projects proceed more smoothly and budgets remain more predictable. The Nanhua Glimmer project demonstrates that inclusive design and elegant design need not represent competing priorities.

Ecological Stewardship and Educational Opportunity

The Nanhua Glimmer landscape incorporates ecological considerations throughout the overall design, creating opportunities for public education about local plant species and ecosystems. The selected variety of plants within the campus presents an ecological education opportunity for visitors, including edible plants on the green hills and restored aquatic plants in the eco pond.

The educational dimension of the landscape transforms the park from a passive amenity into an active resource for community learning. School groups can visit to learn about local ecosystems. Families can discover which plants provide food and how the plants grow. Elderly visitors can reconnect with agricultural knowledge that might otherwise fade from collective memory. The landscape becomes a living classroom maintained through public investment for public benefit.

The preservation of mature trees throughout the site further emphasizes ecological continuity. The preserved trees, protected through careful planning of facilities and structural foundations that account for root systems, provide immediate ecological value that newly planted trees would require decades to match. Canopy cover, habitat provision, carbon sequestration, and stormwater management all benefit from the tree preservation approach.

For government organizations evaluating landscape projects, ecological emphasis in design offers measurable benefits alongside experiential ones. Public health research increasingly demonstrates connections between green space access and community wellbeing. Environmental monitoring can track biodiversity improvements and ecosystem services. Measurable ecological and health outcomes strengthen the case for continued investment in quality landscape design for public spaces.

Recognition as Strategic Communication

When government organizations invest public resources in quality design, communicating the value of that investment becomes an important responsibility. Taxpayers deserve to understand how their contributions translate into community benefit. Design recognition from established institutions provides one mechanism for communicating design value.

The Nanhua Glimmer project received Golden recognition from the A' Design Award in the Landscape Planning and Garden Design category during 2022. Recognition from an international design competition helps validate the project achievement in ways that internal assessments cannot match. External peer review by design professionals provides credibility that helps government organizations demonstrate the quality outcomes achieved through their investments.

Design recognition also creates opportunities for knowledge sharing across government jurisdictions. When projects receive attention through award programs, other municipalities and public institutions can learn from successful approaches. The Nanhua Glimmer project innovative mist generating system, the boundary dissolution strategy, the accessibility-first design philosophy, and the regional identity translation methodology all represent transferable insights that other government organizations might adapt to their own contexts.

For public institutions considering landscape transformation projects, you can explore the award-winning nanhua glimmer design to understand how design principles like those demonstrated at Nanhua Glimmer translate into built outcomes. The documentation available through design award programs often includes detailed project information, design rationales, and technical specifications that prove valuable for organizations in early planning phases.

Creating Legacy Through Public Landscape Design

The Nanhua Glimmer project demonstrates what becomes possible when government organizations approach landscape design as an opportunity rather than merely a requirement. The Pingtung County Government, led by County Mayor Pan Men-an with the stated policy focus on people, invested in a transformation that serves multiple constituencies across multiple timeframes.

In the immediate term, the park provides accessible outdoor space for community members and elderly visitors. The mist effects and evening lighting create experiences that draw residents to the space during various times of day and seasons of the year. The opened boundaries invite casual use by neighbors who might previously have walked past the walled campus without engagement.

In the medium term, the ecological features establish educational resources that will serve students and families for years to come. The preserved mature trees will continue providing shade and habitat. The restored aquatic ecosystem will mature and diversify. The edible plant installations will demonstrate sustainable food systems to curious visitors.

In the long term, the regional identity elements create cultural continuity that connects future generations to the landscape traditions of Pingtung County. Children who experience the recreated mountain mist at Nanhua Glimmer may develop appreciation for the natural phenomenon that will inform a personal sense of place for decades to come.

Government organizations possess unique capabilities and responsibilities in landscape design. They control land resources at scales private developers rarely match. They can plan across timeframes that exceed private investment horizons. They answer to entire communities rather than narrow constituencies. The Nanhua Glimmer project demonstrates how unique governmental characteristics can produce outcomes that honor the past, serve the present, and create foundations for the future. What underutilized public land in your community might benefit from similarly thoughtful transformation?