A Xingfa cement factory’s reimagining breathes new life into an abandoned industrial site

The Jinyu Xingfa Technology Campus & Quarry Park, nestled between the Great Wall of China and Yanqi Lake, 70km north of central Beijing, breathes new life into an abandoned industrial site. Once a bustling cement factory, built in the early 1990s, that supplied big-ticket projects such as the ‘Bird's Nest’ National Stadium, this 107.5-hectare expanse has evolved dramatically since closing in 2015 under China’s ambitious National Air Quality Action Plan.

Today, 54 factory buildings stand preserved, now hosting innovation laboratories where researchers explore physics, engineering, and artificial intelligence.

Explore the newly greened site of the Xingfa cement factory

The site's owners, Beijing Jinyu Group, a construction materials and real estate conglomerate, wanted more than environmental clean-up – they challenged landscape architects SWA to create a destination that would harmonise industrial heritage with natural beauty, connecting visitors to both the ancient wall and tranquil lake waters that frame the property.

SWA’s masterplan plays with the quarries' natural contrasts – the lower basin now holds a mirror-flat water feature, while the elevated pit frames an intimate open-air venue – to create immersive experiences through winding trails, textured plantings, and leisure spaces that echo the site's industrial roots.

SWA's approach embraces the quarries' raw personality. ‘We focused on integrating ecology and artistic expression into the plan,’ explains Jack Wu, the studio’s managing principal. ‘An ecological pool in Quarry 1 collects rainwater from the mining area, while scattered stones in Quarry 2 create a compelling land art zone.’

Nothing has gone to waste. Local stone and shale find new purpose in walls, seating, and tactile paving. Massive excavators now stand as weathered sculptures, while salvaged machinery parts appear as distinctive signage along pathways that link the quarries and reveal the site's industrial heritage.

Greening the stark terrain proved trickier than expected. Wu admits his team was surprised by the challenges of coaxing life from the quarry's unforgiving landscape. After persistent experimentation, a hardy palette emerged – tenacious elms, mulberry and arborvitae cling to thin soils, while nitrogen-fixing plants quietly rebuild fertility below. Come autumn, native smoke trees and maples paint the landscape in russet and gold, their roots slowly binding the once-barren ground.

Water flows through the site with newfound purpose. A thoughtfully designed drainage network captures seasonal downpours, feeding a self-sustaining pond that requires no artificial replenishment after its initial fill.

The park’s seven-year journey from industrial void to ecological haven signals an encouraging shift in China's environmental aesthetics. What began as corporate redevelopment has become something more profound – a testament to how extractive landscapes can, through patient design, yield spaces of contemplation and unexpected beauty.

swagroup.com