For Huang Cong, vice-president of engineering firm TYLin China, planning and designing the main venue of the International Horticultural Exhibition 2024 Chengdu is a milestone in his 23-year career.

The 186-day expo, which began on April 26 in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, is a showcase of hundreds of distinctive plant species from five continents, and gardening styles from 32 countries and regions.

Huang, as the chief planner of the expo's main venue, has experience in the planning and design of major domestic and international projects such as the 2012 London Olympics, Terminal 5 of Heathrow Airport and its supporting facilities, Chang'an Automobile's headquarters, and Nanjing Garden Expo Park.

He said Chengdu has provided the perfect venue for the expo as it is the birthplace and major demonstration area for China's "park city" concept, and offers a platform to showcase the country's green development practices to the world.

"Undertaking this project is not only an honor for me, but also signifies a sense of responsibility and mission," said Huang.

"Through practice in ecological restoration, low-impact development, reuse and recycling, and intelligent operation in the planning and design of the main venue, we hope to demonstrate some of China's green development solutions to the world.

"With the total number of exhibition gardens hitting a record of 113 among category B international horticultural exhibitions, the expo emphasizes the principles of being green and low-carbon, economical and sustainable, shared and inclusive," he said.

"For the first time in the event's history, the Chengdu expo carried out a special plan and a management method to implement the green and low-carbon approach in the planning and design, construction and operation," Huang said.

The construction of the main venue used existing ecological resources and preserved the natural terrain features as much as possible. This not only avoids damage to the local ecosystem but also reduces construction costs.

To reduce carbon emissions, the pavilions and buildings at the main venue were all designed in accordance with green building standards, with a preference for using carbon-negative building materials such as bamboo and wood, and incorporating green and energy-saving technologies such as photovoltaic glass and composite thermal insulation.

"Take the three giant lotus petal-shaped buildings at the entrance as an example. They are not only visually appealing, but also function as rainwater collectors," Huang said.

The facility is estimated to collect about 2,500 metric tons of rainwater per year, which can meet the daily watering needs of 2 hectares of green areas.

After the closing of the expo, the main venue will be transformed into an urban park of the Chengdu Eastern New Area, while the buildings within will be turned into public facilities, including a cultural and arts center, a marriage registry and a community center.

"Not a single building in the main venue has been designed without considering its long-term use," he said.

In Huang's view, one of the event's distinctive features is its inclusiveness of diverse cultures.

It has enabled Huang and his team to incorporate plenty of Sichuan's cultural elements and Chengdu people's unique living philosophy into their design, and provided them with a chance to exchange ideas and foster mutual understanding with global counterparts from different cultural backgrounds.

Although the expo has been underway for more than three months, Huang still frequently visits the main venue to identify areas that require improvement and refinement, and to brainstorm ideas for future upgrades of the area.

"The expo offers us an exceptional opportunity to envision future living spaces and future communities," Huang said. "The experiences we gain here will enable us to improve people's quality of life and well-being in future practices."

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