Location：Songyang County

Completion：2018.11

松陽中草藥資源豐富，中醫養生傳統文化底蘊深厚。 縣城中心的歷史街區仍然保留完整的古城機理，文廟，武廟，城隍廟，藥皇宮，天后宮，太保殿等歷史文化建筑留存至今。其中以藥皇宮為中心的中醫藥康養文化街區，規劃引入文創研發藥膳飲食傳承教學等功能業態， 融合周邊居民生活區塊 。這片區域居民自住房屋密集，巷道狹窄 ，原有的小商品貿易市場，由輕鋼結構搭建，給生活區帶來消防隱患，已經騰退清空，規劃將此區塊和南面主要道路的太平坊路打通，形成貫通開敞的入口，和南面修繕中的松陽高腔戲院連接，并在密集的歷史街區中形成開放廣場，提供縣城居民日常生活休閑場所。

小商品貿易市場拆除同時，我們開始參與這個廣場項目的景觀設計，按照要求配合施工進度計劃，從設計開始到施工完成一共僅六周時間。綜合考慮項目的功能需求，現實條件限制，以及所處的中醫藥康養街區未來規劃，我們提出“本草園”主題概念，明確廣場的生活及文化定位，兼顧區塊規劃和景觀設計。

原有市場的地面已經全部水泥硬化，那么設計則順勢而為，以硬化的水泥地面為底圖，開鑿地面種植藥材，以書寫方式記錄松陽當地特有的中草藥品種，沿著南北進深方向，分為春夏秋冬四個篇章，中間通過延續街區機理的東西向路徑區分。廣場四周以原有建筑圍合為主，西側新建的文化墻以傳統方式繪制松陽中醫藥文化歷史畫面，作為背景資料介紹，結合座椅提供停留休憩功能。

所有書寫順序沿著南北方向，強調南面太平坊路入口進入北面歷史街區的空間序列。

每一種藥材名字種植相應的藥材品種，根據灌木和草本的區分，字體分別為4米和2.5米見方；喜陰的藥材字體之間種植樹木提供樹冠遮陽。

各種藥材根據各自不同生長季節，提供廣場活動人群不同的辨識度，既是趣味互動，也是中醫藥文化研學教育。從周邊居民樓上看下去，本草園是以中草藥植物書寫的一副字畫，隨著生長周期循環，植物的繁茂凋零，在春夏秋冬四季呈現不同的暈染。

Songyang County is rich in Chinese medicinal herbs, which nurture the tradition of Chinese medicine and home-therapy and cultural practices. The historical district in County Urban Center still remains the original fabric and historical buildings such as the Wen Temple, the Wu Temple, the City God Temple, the Medicine Palace, the Heavenly Empress Palace, and the Taibao Palace. The Chinese medicine recreational and cultural district has been planned centered around the Palace of Medicine to introduce practical programs such as medicinal cuisine and teaching, which also integrates with the residential and living areas in the surrounding.

In this densely populated area occupied by private housing on narrow lanes, a local commodity trading market built with light steel structure has been vacated due to the fire regulations. According to the district planning, the demolition of this market block will open up a main access to the main Taiping Fang Road and connect to the Songyang Opera Theatre in the south. This will also provide an open leisure plaza in the dense residential area.

We became involved in the design of this public square project while the Commodity Trade Market was already undergoing demolition. The total timeline to complete both design and construction was only six weeks according to the schedule. Therefore, to adapt to the program needs, the schedule requirement, and also the planning theme of this district, we propose a “Chinese Herbal Garden” to define both living and cultural characters of the square, which will also consolidate both district planning and landscape design.

The original floor of the former marker has already been hardened, so our design adapts to the condition by carving out the cement floor and planting medicinal herbs, in a sequence of recording the local herbs in writing along the north-south axis, which are divided into four season chapters by the east-west passages extending from the district fabric. The square is surrounded by the original buildings, while on the new cultural wall on the west side, pictures illustrating the history of Songyang's Chinese medicine culture are painted in traditional way to serve as background information and provide a resting area with seats.

All writings are sequenced along the north-south direction to emphasize the order of entrance at Taiping Fang Road into the historic district in the north.  

The names of the medicine correspond to the herbs planted and are distinguished between shrubs and herbs, with fonts in 4 square meters and 2.5 square meters, respectively. Trees are planted between characters to provide canopy for those need shading.

According to their different growing seasons, the various medicinal herbs can provide different recognition experiences for people visiting this plaza. This interaction can also become a fun learning process on local Chinese medicine and herbal culture. Looking down from the upper floors of the surrounding residences, this herb garden is seen as calligraphy written with Chinese herbal plants. With the cycles of growth and decay, the plants flourish and wither throughout different seasons of the year, like the ink of calligraphy.