Empty Squares: The Courage of Leaving Nothing

An urban plaza deliberately kept empty. In the center is a large expanse of paving completely devoid of any facilities—no planters, no seating, no sculptures, no installations, just a flat and continuous stone pavement with a precise ground division. All functions are pushed to the edges: there's a perimeter with tree shade and benches, and seating under the building's arcade. Because the center is empty, this space can accommodate any activity—markets, concerts, gatherings, ball games, or nothing at all, rather than being limited to a single use by fixed facilities. People in the scene are scattered irregularly across this empty space. Avoid: adding planters, sculptures, and fixed installations in the center, dividing the paving into multiple sections, adding a large number of urban furniture, making the space appear filled.

Translated from Chinese by AI.

一座刻意保持空曠的都市廣場。中央有一大片完全沒有任何設施的鋪面——沒有花台、沒有座椅、沒有雕塑、沒有裝置,只有平整而連續的石材鋪面與一套精確的地面分割。所有的機能被推到邊緣:周邊一圈有樹蔭與長凳,建築的騎樓下有座位。因為中央是空的,這片空間可以承載任何活動——市集、演唱會、集會、球賽、什麼都不做,而不是被固定的設施限定成單一用途。畫面中的人以不規則的方式散布在這片空地上。避免:在中央加入花台、雕塑與固定裝置、把鋪面切割成多個區塊、加入大量的都市家具、讓空間顯得被填滿。