Good Old Days and Pollinators

Garden Showcase for Bowen Qian

The Good Old Days and Pollinators Garden Showcase reflect the social transformation in China from rural living to urban community life. Inspired by the coexistence of aging residential buildings and nature, the design recreates a pocket garden that simulates an ecological restoration site amid remaining structures after relocation. Through natural planting that attracts pollinators and a multi-sensory, interactive layout, the garden becomes a street-corner retreat, blending ecological value with cultural memory and immersive experience.

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Good Old Days and Pollinators by Bowen Qian

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Garden Showcase by Bowen Qian

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Bowen Qian Good Old Days and Pollinators

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Bowen Qian Garden Showcase

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Bowen Qian Design Team Photo

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Unique Properties

Based on the concept of "coexistence of dilapidated old-style residential buildings and nature", the real garden site is simulated as a pocket garden of "remaining residential structures after relocation and an ecological restoration scene. Pollinators are attracted through natural planting, and multi-sensory fusion and interaction are integrated to create a street corner miniature garden with ecological value, cultural narrative and immersive experience.

Tags

Pollinator-friendly, Inclusive-design, Pocket-garden

Production Technology

The three "walls" are the main structures, representing the "soil erosion" of people's inner spiritual home under the direction of urbanization. Bug-hotels and insect-houses are interspersed in the flower beds, providing a habitat for pollinators in the ecological chain, playing a positive role in conserving and maintaining the water and soil on the physical site, and also echoing the conservation of the lost water and soil in people's hearts by these walls.

Project Duration

This project started on 11th April to 13th April as a temporary Pocket Garden in 'China Garden Expo 2025' in Suzhou, China

Operation Flow

When visitors enter the garden, they can touch the "relics" and feel the passage of time, and through the fragrance of flowers, the touch of plants, and close interaction with pollinators, they can form an immersive experience spanning natural and human history.

Research

This form of expression aims to provide a new idea for municipal planners under the direction of urbanization development - while retaining some of the "original relics", some of the "relocation relics" can be integrated into the overall design and planning process in the form of block gardens or pocket gardens. This will not only provide a place for spiritual rest for the original inhabitants (especially the elderly), but also enhance the understanding of the original historical appearance of this area for later generations.

Inspiration

This design is based on modern social changes that multiple generations in China are facing the transformation from rural living habitats to the urbanized living model of living in communities. Many people have witnessed the demolition and replacement of modern and contemporary old-style houses, and new urban functional blocks have been planned on the original site of the relocation. Multiple generations have lost their "physical" homes, and their spiritual homes have gradually faded over time.

Image Credits

Bowen Qian

Project Overview

Good Old Days and Pollinators Garden Showcase has been a Silver winner in the Event and Happening Design award category in the year 2024 organized by the prestigious A' Design Award & Competition. The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.

Silver Recognition

Bowen Qian was recognized with the coveted Silver A' Design Award in 2025, a testament to excellence of their work Good Old Days and Pollinators Garden Showcase.

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