The "REVIVING: MINES" PARK Shandong organized by Non Architecture Competitions in collaboration with ARQ, now is calling for entries! Non Architecture (NonA) is looking for creative proposals that would go beyond standardized models for development, informing local authorities with new ways to approach such a project. Particular emphasis is posed on the issue of the dismissed mines, which constitute a unique feature but also a great challenge.


The city district of Zibo, the third largest by population within the Shandong province, has been a key stone mining location till recent years. The excavation activities, particularly focused on the Zichuan subdistrict, marked the rural areas of the province with invasive interventions and disruptions of the local ecosystem. The mountainous area is today characterized by woodlands, villages, mine pits in quarries and terraces built with stone. The extraction activities have been terminated, generating the need for new purpose and value in a location with unique cultural, ecological and social conditions.