3D printed concrete caves resemble stone formations in chinese playground by XISUI design

xisui design shapes 3D printed concrete playground in china

In Jinan, eastern China, XISUI Design completes Boulder Park, a playground that spans 4,000 square meters and centers on the figure of the boulder as a recurring spatial motif. Scattered across the site, these forms function as play equipment and landscape elements. The most prominent structure is a cave-like installation with layered surfaces and free-form geometry that resemble weathered stone formations, made using large-scale 3D concrete printing.

The use of digital fabrication here is a way to test how emerging construction technologies might support low-rise and public-facing environments.

all images by Hu Yihao, Zhou Sheng, CHENIN Visual

multiple activity zones compose the Boulder Park

Occupying the heart of Yunwan Garden in Jinan’s Licheng District, Boulder Park is part of a broader development by Vanke Jinan. Shanghai-based XISUI Design designed the children’s activity zones within the park and, more specifically, the All-Age Boulder Playground, Forest Garden, and Water Garden. Each zone draws on landscape elements and natural materials to support a wide range of experiences.

In the All-Age Boulder Playground, massive boulders are arranged over a sandpit to form climbing, sliding, and sitting structures. These rocky features, whether real or digitally fabricated, form the framework for swings, trampolines, seesaws, climbing tunnels, and talking tubes. The adjacent Forest Garden combines native vegetation with winding paths and natural play installations, where children interact with the environment, developing both motor skills and cognitive awareness of balance, rhythm, and spatial orientation.

To the west, the Water Garden extends this approach into aquatic play with a network of shallow creeks and spring-fed features, some fed by hand pumps and water-pressure devices, offering a sensory-rich environment where children and adults can engage with jumping fountains, water turntables, and winding channels.

XISUI Design completes Boulder Park, a playground that spans 4,000 square meters

irregular structures integrate slides, tunnels and more

What distinguishes Boulder Park architecturally is its use of 3D concrete printing as both a technological tool and a formal language. Developed in collaboration with 3D construction printing solutions company Guanli Intelligent Technology Co., the park’s large-scale installations, such as the cave-like climbing structures, are fabricated through additive robotic printing, allowing for the production of monolithic, complex forms directly from digital models. Unlike conventional construction, which relies on labor-intensive formwork and segmented assembly, this technique builds structures layer by layer with continuous material extrusion. The rounded and organically irregular resulting geometries mimic natural geological formations while integrating slides, handrails, tunnels, and steps into the continuous concrete skin.

centering on the figure of the boulder as a recurring spatial motif

Structural Innovation with Human-Centered Outdoor Design

XISUI Design emphasizes that landscape projects, unlike buildings, often have lighter structural demands and smaller scales, making them an ideal testing ground for emergent fabrication methods. ‘Compared to architecture, landscape structures have more diverse application scenarios,’ explains lead designer Hu Yihao. Despite current challenges in 3D-printed concrete, such as reinforcing techniques and uneven load distribution, the team reports achieving a material strength of 50 MPa, surpassing China’s standard for structural concrete (C40). These specifications, they note, are more than sufficient for outdoor installations, which prioritize durability, safety, and resistance to wear.

Equally important is how these printed structures address safety without sacrificing imagination. The designs avoid sharp edges, incorporate ample open spaces and seating, and are suitable for users of all ages. The resulting environments offer a sense of spatial drama, layered canyons, tunnels, and overlooks, without losing sight of the user’s scale or needs. 

these forms function as play equipment and landscape elements

the most prominent structure is a cave-like installation

layered surfaces and free-form geometry

made using large-scale 3D concrete printing

massive boulders are arranged over a sandpit to form climbing, sliding, and sitting structures

rocky features form the framework for swings, trampolines, seesaws, climbing tunnels, and talking tubes

children interact with the environment

3D concrete printing is used as both a technological tool and a formal language

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the park’s large-scale installations are fabricated through additive robotic printing

this technique builds structures layer by layer

the rounded and organically irregular resulting geometries mimic natural geological formations

Forest Garden combines native vegetation with winding paths and natural play installations

children develop both motor skills and cognitive awareness of balance, rhythm, and spatial orientation

the Water Garden extends this approach into aquatic play

a network of shallow creeks and spring-fed features

a sensory-rich environment

top view of the Boulder Park structures | plans and diagrams by XISUI Design

diagram

structure sketches

main installation analysis

project info:

name: Boulder Park

architect: XISUI Design | @xisui.design

location: Vanke Snow Mountain City, Licheng District, Jinan, China

site area: 13,000 square meters (4,000 square meters children’s area)

client: Vanke Jinan

design team: Hu Yihao, Peng Yang, Li Chengxi, Zheng Mengzi, Chen Wenqi, Ruan Chengxin, Liu Yihe, Chu Tiancheng

3D printing construction: Guanli Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd.

structural consultant: LuAnLu Partner Structure Consulting

photographer: Hu Yihao, Zhou Sheng, CHENIN Visual

video: CHENIN Visual