Project Description

The riverside site, once a vibrant place of community gathering, tea stalls, and boat rides, has gradually deteriorated into a neglected dumping ground. Waste from the adjacent market and nearby homes has polluted the river and its edges. This negative space reflects a loss of cultural memory, ecological health, and community connection.

“Echoes by the River” aims to heal this neglected space by reconnecting people to the river through ecological restoration and social revitalization. The design introduces fixed waste collection points with dedicated bins for each market stall. Elevated platforms called Macha, with tin roofs reminiscent of childhood rain sounds, provide shaded seating areas facing the river, encouraging community interaction and quiet reflection.

To engage the younger generation, buffer zones along the riverbank are transformed into living classrooms where nearby schools’ students participate in planting. This ecological buffer filters runoff, restores biodiversity, and acts as a visible sign of community stewardship.

Operating across the three realms of healing — personal, communal, and planetary — the project fosters comfort and joy, collective care and pride, and environmental repair and resilience. By blending memory, participation, and restoration, “Echoes by the River” transforms a degraded riverfront into a living, thriving healing space where nature and community flourish together