In December 2012, Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan located on the western shores of the Caspian Sea, was awarded the honour of staging the 2015 European Games. In a bid to include Rowing, Canoeing and Triathlon events the London practice of Llewelyn Davies Yeang was appointed to create a Masterplan for Khojahasan Lake on the western boundary of the city.

Despite the high level of pollution the 1,225ha site was identified as a possible venue for:

• A 2,200m long, 8-lane wide, International Rowing course. Each lane to be 13.5 metres wide with one return lane.
• A 1000m Canoe and Kayak course
• Facilities for an Olympic-distance Triathlon (1,500m swim, 40km cycle and 10km run)
• A shooting range

A huge decontamination exercise would be required and the diversion of waste water.. A post-Games strategy was devised that would see environs around the lake landscaped to create a green park accessible to the city.

The landscape plan has been designed to resemble a huge quilt or tapestry with a variety of shades of green when viewed from the air. The quilt is created by the selective planting on 1,000 ha of decontaminated land of over 20 different species of trees commonly found in Azerbaijan. Reed beds will be retained and enlarged on the fringes of the lake. The intention is to create a variety of habitats to attract birds (including many that migrate southwards from Russia in winter and others that migrate from the south via Iran). In addition the intention is to attract a range of small mammals and insects.