Construction has begun on a large-scale public space in central Hong Kong, designed by landscape architects Gustafson Porter + Bowman, which will bring dense tropical vegetation and flowing water features to the heart of the concrete jungle.

The 69,000sq ft (6,400sq m) project is being developed as part of the major HK$15bn (US$1.9bn, €1.8bn, £1.5bn) Taikoo Place scheme being overseen by Swire Properties in Quarry Bay.

The developer is demolishing and rebuilding two office towers and adding an elevated walkway designed by Hugh Dutton Associés. The new Taikoo Place park will provide a place of relaxation and respite for residents, office workers and the public by “tempering the frenetic environment of the city.”

The landscape team are planting lush vegetation and 70 trees, including 53 of a native species grown specifically for the project to raise awareness of Hong Kong’s spiritually symbolic Fung Shui woodlands.

The public space will form a sequence of areas ranging from small intimate places around water, where people can gather and socialise with friends and colleagues, to more open areas suitable for events such as jazz concerts and outdoor markets. The largest of these spaces, Taikoo Square, is designed to create the impression of a series of terraces and is typified by two large longitudinal pools connected by a cascade and a small water table.

Water features will be carved and sculpted through 3D modelling to allow the water to “move in exciting ways” through the site, referencing the former quays that once existed there.

The entire design of the park is defined by large bands of brown and white granite, which will extend into the surrounding streetscape and the building lobby of the new One Taikoo Place tower in order to unify the landscape and interior space with a continuous design that enhances prioritises pedestrians the public realm experience.

“Taikoo Place is a cohesion of work, enjoyment, culture, and nature,” said Sibylla Hartel, a partner at Gustafson Porter + Bowman. “As landscape architects it is a privilege to be able to transform such a large space between existing and new buildings.”

The entire Taikoo Place project is scheduled for completion by 2021.

The landscape architects – who previously designed the Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain in London and who are now working on a garden-themed Singapore tower scheme and a vast park in Valencia – changed their name this month to reflect the influential role of partner Mary Bowman, who joined the practice in 2002.