Tianjin Culture Park

Beside overall Urban and Traffic Planning, the commissioned services included Landscape & Open Space Design of the entire Culture Park, integration of subterranean traffic and retail areas, Water Management and guidelines for Lighting Design.
The project is core, focal point and “heart and soul” of the entire city. The area comprises Opera House & Chinese Theatre, 5 museums, Library, Youth Centre and a vast shopping mall, with totally 1 million m²GFA (85% newly constructed).

A core area of about 400x1200m forms a generous open space, able to accommodate a variety of large-scale public open air events. A dynamic set of cultural spaces are interconnected and unified through the artful use of water as core design element.

Continue reading “Tianjin Culture Park”

Tianjin 5G Smart Community

RhineScheme’s concept, awarded with the “2022 Iconic Awards | Selection”, explores ways towards a smart and inspiring new type of housing development, starting from the overall spatial design to the distribution of functional spaces and applied technologies.

Taking into account the actual location of the project (in the neighbourhood of an industrial area), a new form of living together is propagated, not only but also with the help of 5G technologies.

Background

Manufacturing was once the cornerstone of industry in Jinghai, a district in the southwest of the 16 million metropolis of Tianjin. The strong private enterprise environment was Jinghai’s widely known label at the time. But change was and is the real constant in urban development.

Jinghai will now take up “smart living” as a transformation and development impetus, creating a demonstration area that will serve as a template for the growing nearby “future city” of Xiong’an, while making Jinghai a key player in the development of smart living and its linkages to relevant industries.

Strategy

The ‘5G Smart Community’ is the first seed of the development strategy. It will explore and implement six innovation focus areas of future housing developments: -employment opportunities, -spatial connections, -innovation & upgrading, -engagement, -resilience, -diversity & community.

The underlying vision is to provide diverse housing for families and singles that is highly flexible and adaptable to future needs and where growing families, also growing businesses and different lifestyles can come together and strengthen each other.

Master plan / Street types

The Master Plan aims to remove physical and psychological barriers, typically used to demarcate residential or urban neighbourhoods, so that they integrate better with their surroundings. 5G technology is used instead of fences and gates to create places that are liveable, sustainable, open and safe.

In designing new smart city streets as community hubs – rather than car-dominated streets – a necessary urban edge is created on the east side of the planning area with a seamless pedestrian zone, as an interface between residential development and the adjacent commercial area.

On the west side, the green buffer of the river is integrated into the settlement as an extended leisure space by creating additional open spaces along the perimeter line. With views of the river extending to the new development, unimpeded continuing connections are created into the green courtyards.

The central street integrates people, vehicles and the environment through intelligent design.

On the ‘Smart Street’, AI cameras enable dynamic identification of people and non-inductive safety management. Smart kerbs allow users to find shared parking spaces and unmanned shared cars.

Smart light poles provide charging stations for robotic devices, smart traffic lights regulate traffic flow and give priority to pedestrians.

In ‘Smart Commercial Street’, an unmanned supermarket, a robotic restaurant, an interactive VR ‘Tmall’ shop (or that of another digital retailer) and interactive lighting provide creative and vital living while ensuring safety and 24/7 opening hours.

Landscape

Waterfront green spaces provide recreation, while also providing space for valuable scientific and technical research and regulatory systems. An intelligent environmental management system, coupled with humidity and sprinkler metering, dynamically adjusts the humidity and quality of air and water to ensure a pleasant open space experience.

Greenery extends into the settlement, creating a continuous, diverse and multi-age recreational space.

Community / Apartment Types

Non-inductive, flexible 5G technology to manage block boundaries ensures the protection of fundamentally open and inclusive community spaces. A diverse range of housing and rich public amenities make the community a heterogeneous and inspiring place.

The design of different housing types follows the five guidelines: -technology, -individuality, -ecology, -affordability, -anchoring in the place.

The design targets two types of target groups, implemented by means of two basic modules. It works with 5 basic sizes and a variety of flexible dwellings, including graduate dwellings, single dwellings, dwellings for young families, dwellings for families with 2 children, and expert dwellings, thereby creating a sensible mix and a complete growth path for the community.

Personal needs change with life’s journey, requiring variable housing units. Age-appropriate needs are taken into account, e.g. in younger years of life the need for affordable housing and interpersonal communication, in middle age the need for variable living and flexible work spaces, in advanced age the need for value enhancement and living together of several generations.

Simple and sustainable interior materials, audio-controlled furniture and appliances (5G smart home devices) are basic features of the homes.

More or less traditional homes with residential services derived from personal needs make the home intimate and individual.

Public facilities

The “sports and activity area” includes a sports centre as the main building and numerous opportunities for outdoor activities for the whole community.

The community restaurant is planned as a creative space, also as a place for e.g. romantic meetings of young people.

The “Sky-Garden” is a place to relax after work.

A street overpass designed as a coloured corridor connects functions and offers children a fantastic incentive to cross the street safely to the kindergarten.

A so-called “urban showroom” has commercially used and communal urban “lobbies”. It includes an exhibition building and offers meeting and hotel services. Additional rooms for special events are available to the community on request.

Finally, the Landmark Building offers a variety of mixed-use functions. Continuous ramps on the lower floors traverse the indoor and outdoor spaces and connect to the “Sky Garden”, which not only provides an immersive experience, but also makes the building a prominent portal and brand for the Smart Community.

Construction methods and technologies

The six core capabilities of smart communities are realized through horizontal and vertical digital smart tech systems.

In terms of ‘vertical architecture’, 5G smart communities will rely on the operational capabilities of a cloud that connects and permeates the city’s data infrastructure to micro-units.

In terms of ‘horizontal architecture’, the aim is to have a comprehensive solution based on the ‘Internet of Things’, data support, and the respective service capabilities of the stakeholders: residents (C|Customer), businesses (B|Business) and governments (G|Government).

Intelligent living

Intelligent assistants, integrated interaction technology and sensory AI devices let residents relax as much as possible at home.

The planned smart community management includes: smart property management, management of certain event-driven scenarios mapped in a closed management loop, and various smart services in a 12-hour cycle with the community as a unit.

The control centre, located in the centre of the community, uses the powerful cloud platform, which helps to ensure real-time monitoring, planning and management of the compound.

Digital payment systems (in this case an ‘Alipay’ entrance) are integrated into the application terminals for docking C and B customers (residents, businesses), which significantly reduces planning, operation and maintenance costs.

The user interface is automatically adapted to the frequency of use and the preferences of the users to achieve a practicable and efficient operation.

Conclusion

We are convinced that ‘5G Smart Community’ technologies will help shape the growth and innovation in urban design of the future.

This project was awarded the 1st prize of the “Global Design Competition of Intelligent Life”.

 

Design: RhineScheme GmbH (consortium leader) / Tianjin Urban Planning & Design Institute / ALIYUN

Lead designers: Christian Hartmann, Ran Li, Wei Er

Design Team: Fan Zhang, Michele Morrone, Gregorio Soravito, Laura Cristina Ruiz Gil, Qianqian Song

Mentougou Industry Valley Masterplan

The crucial mission of the planning was to revitalize mountains and valley, to promote cultural innovation, to realize the rebirth of “black gold” and to value the  transformations of the 21st century. In an area with highly complex and diversified elements such as mountain and water, forests and fields, villages and mines, the questions were: How can contemporary life be carried on in a somehow outdated environment, how can this area become a spatial carrier with cultural connotation and ecological charm, and become a source of new vitality?

As a result, RhineScheme proposed a concept based on the motto “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”, which means establishing regional connections, inserting new functions, reshaping mountains and streams, and building an immersive tourism and ecotourism demonstration area with China’s industrial civilization as main theme.

The linear development focuses on “catering, accommodation, transportation, tourism, shopping and entertainment”, and creates a full set of service systems which combines cultural tourism and eco-tourism meeting the travel needs of the whole family.

After realizing a series of interventions, a visitor cannot only enjoy the scenery along the way, but also take an exclusive train journey experiencing the immersive industrial culture of the site, and a fantastic adventure shuttle through the industrial world. A visitor will experience traditional crafts and pastoral life in the “folk custom tourism area”, retrospect lost civilization and its rebirth in the “industrial and mining heritage experience area”, and enjoy a moment of natural tranquillity and ease in the mountainous “leisure and recreation area”.

Typical attributes of the area were classified in order to realize spatial shaping of different characters. 3 types of spatial classification have been established:

  • Firstly, the space is divided into introverted and extroverted types as to their spatial feelings.
  • Secondly, history and future are defined in terms of the feeling of time. The historical perspective is superimposed with contemporary functions, and the functions are transformed accordingly.
  • Thirdly – based on the transformation mode – artificial landscape and natural landscape are classified. The historical development background is respected, while playful experience is added to it.

On the basis of the natural topography, a park system is created, which makes the mountainous land more completely displayed to the public, with realizing a series of connections within the site. This will ultimately drive the coordinated development of the area.

12 train stations are being created along the historic railway line. The starting point for the planning of each individual spot is taking advantage of the local situation and integrating the entire areas surrounding the stations. The principle has been: quality upgrading, with the aim of creating spatial nodes with exclusive features for each station and with unique views when roaming step by step along the line.

01 Mentougou station

Mentougou Station, as the hub station of the traffic artery through the landscape, will be a bright name card in the hearts of passengers and citizens by showing the future temperament of the urban area where the journey starts with an allegory of the regional landscape form.

02 Liuliqu Station & Village

Along the railway line, on the left bank of Yongding River, there is an ancient village with beautiful scenery with mountains at the back – Liuliqu Village. Many monuments can be found in the village, and the only yellow glaze-roofed Qing Dynasty overhead building in Beijing is preserved there, as well as the Pearl Glaze Tile Factory, the Brick and Tile Kiln Factory, the ancient theater, and the Temple of the Mountain God. The thousand-year old village of Liuliqu has become an experience center of glaze tile culture and national trending culture through renewal and revitalization for the entire resources.

03 Wild Creek Station

Depending on the terrain, the complex mountain topography is deconstructed into a series of surprises that pop up along the ground and design a natural ecological study base that respects ecological multidimensional sustainability.

04 Xiehejian station & Shuiyuzui Village

Xiehejian Station, the entrance to the West Beijing Ancient Road, is the place to enjoy the historical scenery. You can walk through Shuiyuzui Village, to Guandi Temple and Leek Garden Village via the Ancient Road Museum and Niujiao Ling Gate, or climb to the top of the mountain in order to enjoy the spectacle of the lofty mountains and high ranges. There are many boutique homestays around the site distributed in the village.

05 Dingjiatan station & Art Village

Dingjiatan is a beautiful rural field at the foot of the mountain, with large orchards and green farmland clustered around village houses. The railway line passes through the village, and Yongding River flows slowly by the village. The village renovated by artists and architects introduces high-quality industrial resources to create public art project for the village, renewing it as an art village through dissolving art into life and artistic scenes.

06 Leek Garden station

has rich agricultural products and cultural resources. Here you find the famous leek garden pickles, large areas of planted farmland with picking gardens, and historical attractions such as Leek Garden Great Cave, Peach Blossom Valley, Temple of Dragon King, Ma Zhiyuan’s former residence, etc. A station house with a spirit like a ribbon floating into the leek garden from the railroad, people can feel the controversial encounter of ancient and modern culture.

07 Seshufen Station & Village

As you go west, the mountains become steeper, and the village of Seshufen is nestled at the foot of the mountains. The village is high in the west and low in the east, forming several distinctive residential clusters from Yongding River to the railway line. The village focuses on rustic residences as its characteristics, with localized rural landscape, ecological countryside, and modern agricultural production to create a participatory leisure agricultural experience that integrates farming experience, knowledge and science, product sales, and catering services.

08 Wangping Station & Mine

On the basis of the protection of historical buildings, the environment and building heights in the surrounding areas have been improved, buildings, squares, mines and other elements have been renewed to better carry future-oriented functions and to create an industrial culture experience center.

09 Luopoling Station & Town

The new site of Luopoling station is chosen on the north side of the reservoir and set up separately from the freight station, providing a safer, more comfortable and beautiful station for visitors. In order to solve the problem of height difference between the track and the community of Luopoling, a unique cross-track trestle is set up to facilitate the transition from the mountain to Luopoling station house for visitors. The station features leisure, shopping, dining and entertainment in one facility.

10 Datai Station, River & Mountain Park

Simple buildings and those without special value have been removed, focusing on the theme of culture and sports, making compound use of the river space for the purpose of creating room for the development of sports functions and commercial services.

11 Muchengjian Station & Tourist Resort

With the mountain as the background in vertical dimension and the buildings as the foreground element in horizontal dimension, the aim was creating a high-end international tourist resort relying on the excellent landscape and topographic advantages by means of horizontal dislocation and vertical extension.

12 Qianjuntai Station & Village

Here the mountains look more majestic, the colors are more and more flourishing, in a ravine, above a large tableland garden. Qianjuntai station appears in front of the eyes with green roof tiles and red brick walls. The quiet ancient village of Qianjuntai and the memories of the old mining era are reborn with new vitality through the construction of the station and the newly created surrounding landscape.

Epilogue

Governmental sponsors on district and municipal level have organized this competition with clear goals: To implement the thought of an ecological civilization, to emphasize the importance of lucid waters and lush mountains as invaluable assets, to respond to the call of zero carbon strategies, to promote ecological protection and green development in ecological conservation areas, to protect the industrial heritage of the century-old coal industry, and to boost regional synergistic development.

Following RhineScheme’s overall planning concept of revitalizing the valley, it is possible to open a dialogue between historical culture and contemporary life.

Manshan Spa Eco-Town

Sheling town planning consists of a Core Functional Area surrounded by 4 groups of communities with different focus: Science & Education Area, Business & Entertainment Area, Rural Leisure Area, and Waterfront Cultural Community.

Manshan Spa Eco-Town is located between the Waterfront Cultural Community and the Business & Entertainment Area, key development nodes for the region at this stage. The government intends to gradually extend the supporting infrastructure and facilities to build this area into a modern, attractive, and sustainable community for the future.

Hot spring facilities and holiday tourism make the core of the Spa Eco-Town. But with the integration of culture, entertainment, health, and sports facilities within an attractive and accessible landscape, it makes the proposal of a modern, complex and diversified town.

Ecological principles for balanced urban developing are upheld, with great emphasis on water management and connectivity. This attitude will be deepened by RhineScheme in the 1st Planning Phase, river landscape and hotel, at the very west end of the site.

The idyllic riverside sets the tone for RhineScheme’s proposal for a town dedicated to well-being. The landscape design for the riverside encourages community integration by the strategic inclusion of bridges and facilities, such as an aviary within a full-length network of side paths, optimized to develop and preserve wetlands and healthy waterways. The Waterfront becomes an axis of leisure, for both active enjoyment and mindful contemplation.  And with a wide array of possible activities for all seasons, it is also a valuable asset for tourism, making its conservation a business investment as well.

The more touristic part lies also on the west side of the development. In the center the hot springs and spa complex is designed for relaxation and comfort. A resort to the north and hotel to the south, offer various accommodation to adapt to different visitors’ preferences. And lastly, a lively touristic villa with shops, restaurants, and experience centers offers multiple entertainment options related to the place and connects to the riverside.

Surrounded by the residential areas, the geographical center of the Spa Eco-Town serves as the “Living Core” of the communities. Conveniently located in the intersection of the two main streets, big-scale service, business, and commercial centers are stablished here, along with the primary and middle schools that serve the whole town. The largest area of the proposal area is dedicated to housing. A great diversity of residential patterns is accommodated and combined, to suit different possible tenants and promote high-quality everyday life. Small-scale proximity commercial, sport, healthcare, and educational facilities are integrated in the different areas and interconnected trough continuous slow systems of biking, running, and walking paths that promote a healthier, more active, and more sustainable lifestyle.

A holistic health care center as well as a Chinese medicine hospital are marking the end of the town to the East. Similar to the spa and hot springs area, the health-focused planning is sparser and designed for relaxation and comfort. Elderly housing and a care home are also part of the area.

RhineScheme’s comprehensive approach to Zhongyi’s Sheling Town development in Changchun, proposes an eco-conscious, dynamic, and diversified environment for visitors and residents to invest in their well-being.

The close commuting with nature, slow-pace dynamics, and varied entertainment and wellness facilities make Manshan Spa Eco-Town an ideal place to enjoy a healthy, joyful and sustainable lifestyle.

Changchun Automotive Talents Residential Park

The Talents Residential Park is located in the core area of the Automobile Economic & Technological Development Zone. The planned total land area is about 47 ha and the total construction area is about 940,000 square meters.

1,000 international expert apartments will be built in the area creating an international, high-level ecological community integrating residential areas of different densities, a five-star hotel, a customized business town, an international school, international clinics, and international supermarkets.

Parts of the Apartments and community services will serve foreign experts in China First Automobile Works Co., Ltd. (FAW).

ARCHITECTURE AND LANDSCAPE 

Residential product whose target group are foreign experts transport not only a brand-new impression that is quite different from local residences, but also a condensed impression of international life.

The architectural facade design of the International Expert Apartments is based on solid and atmospheric natural stone material, with elegant stone-cutting features and metal inlays to outline the exquisite details; local wood panels are used to balance the stone and metal. Air conditioners are carefully integrated to minimize negative visual and acoustic impact.

An interconnected green space system is implemented, containing decentralized fitness- and communication-spaces for all ages. The residential area is car-free, underground parking entrances and rubbish waste collection are located at its perimeters.

The different leisure functions are centered in themed gardens and courtyards which are embedded in a continuous, barrier-free green system, connecting to the car park in its proximity.

Diverse plantings and climate trees, able to withstand the cold winter temperatures in the Changchun climate zone foster healthy and recreational life styles.

 

Changchun ‘Longxiang Plaza’

Adjacent to the two arterial roads, the project enjoys outstanding connectivity. The Beihu Wetland Park on the west side of the site is of great appeal… The design makes full use of the landscape resources so that the planned new buildings can all have access to the beautiful scenery. In the future, diverse commercial formats (leisure, commercial, hotels, apartments, offices, etc.) will attract a large number of business people. The dynamic and vigorous architectural style also offers a striking and attractive urban scene.

The overall project is designed to be low in the south and high in the north, in order to respect the central location of the existing Jixing Building and to ensure best views of all buildings along Beihu Park.
The plan outlines a city skyline that is gradually rising from south to north. The high-rise buildings in the plot are surrounded by water bays of Beihu Park from the south to the north, forming a high point on the northernmost super-tall buildings as an important landmark of the city. The high-rise buildings will serve as offices in the future, and they all can enjoy splendid views of Beihu Park.

The southernmost plot among the three – on the west side of Beiyuanda Street – has been positioned as the Center of Science and Technology. The southeast side of the plot is for multi-storey buildings, whose volume and scale are relatively small, while the layout is flexible to serve as individualized exhibition space. At the same time, the design avoids blocking the view of Jixing Building.
Several tall buildings are arranged on the west side (along the lake), as SOHO office space. Multi-storey buildings will be designed with a rooftop garden to create pleasant views. The central plot (north side of Jixing Building) is planned to be ‘Longxiang (Phase I) Lifestyle Plaza’ including a five-star international hotel. 3 or 4 storey buildings will form commercial space so as to meet the needs of the High-tech Zone. The hotel will have guest rooms on higher floors facing the lake, so that every room offers optimal views.
The plot on the north side is planned to host ‘Longxiang (Phase II) Future Plaza’, a ‘Water World’ complex, a quasi-5-star business hotel, serviced apartments and super high-rise office buildings (220 meters).
The plot on the east side of Beiyuanda Street is planned as Financial Centre, which echoes the planned buildings on the west side.
The underground (garage) of the four plots will be connected.

Proposal 1 uses natural arc elements in the design of the entire project to create a stable and smooth overall image.
Proposal 2 highlights the volume of buildings and vibrancy of space accentuating the beauty of geometric elements and making the building full of tension and vitality. The façade design adopts a diversified approach with futuristic art, emphasizing new technologies and catering to people’s aspiration for innovation and exploration.

Fuyang Ying River East

The business area includes an iconic super high-rise building with a height of 180 meters as well as low-rise commercial streets for continental European style shopping.
The relationship between Anhui Province and the German State of Lower Saxony are a foundation for tourism and for the transfer of technology and tradition in beer brewing and other related businesses. German-style Biergartens are placed along the river bank providing an authentic atmosphere of German leisure culture.

The location of the plot offers splendid views towards the river delta and the city centre directly behind. In order to take advantage of the views and the location along the river, revitalizing the waterfront and creating reasonably sized commercial facilities is decisive for the success of the project. Three main design principles have been traced:
Maximized view connections, attractive work spaces & leisure activities, and a public Waterfront Promenade.

A continuous circuit linking the main commercial areas at strategic points supports the development to become a vivid, active area with diverse functions.
Located straight in the axis of the delta, the office and hotel towers rotate their direction, thus emphasizing the views towards the delta. The towers are designed to create a choreographic three-dimensional silhouette along the river. At the same time they are facing the green island towards the south, providing visual connections and welcoming the traffic crossing the bridge.
Creating a commercial podium at several levels is a strategy to expand the views to the delta. Directing the commercial area towards the centre and entering from the main access points, leads people in and contains the flow inside. It helps creating an important core for business and commerce.

The residential area comprises high-end apartments with best views towards the Ying River and the city center beyond. The residential buildings have two orientations to optimize both the views towards the river and the sun exposure. Different angles between the buildings avoid blocking the views.

Qinhuangdao HSR Station district

By adding contemporary and green architecture and by inventing and developing a convenient infrastructure for vehicles and pedestrians to cross from one side of the station to the other without interference.
The urban expansion around the station will be seen as proof of a tolerant, modern and smart city, adding both mature and charming features to the city image.

RhineScheme’s task was to design the non-residential areas only.
The northern intervention site occupies a total area of 9.3 ha; the smaller south site has 3.4 ha.
The functions inside the southern area interact as a small town, with a five star hotel, office towers and commercial street, where people have a pleasant stay, workplaces and shopping facilities directly connected to the HSR train station. The uses are organized around a series of interconnected plazas forming a semi-circle with focus on the train station.

The northern areas welcome the passengers with a pair of super high-rise towers, both 205 meters tall. These twin towers create an iconic landmark in the new city skyline.
The further north is marked by mainly residential areas, where low-rise commercial streets along the Central Avenue and the avenue surrounding the train station offer convenient shopping and leisure facilities.

Changshan Eastern City

In general terms, the urban structure is based on hierarchy and identity. Between the different quarters, landscape-designed areas are creating a visual and physical connection, so that citizens can benefit from green recreation areas and the riverside.
The arrangement of blocks makes a spatial partition of ‘inside’ and ‘outside’. Spheres of different privacy are defined, and high-quality green areas are provided for the adjacent buildings. Major quality of the development is its sophisticated assignment of ‘public’, ‘semi-public’ and ‘private’ areas which is a crucial feature for the success of a city.
The building heights descend from the Northern main road to the areas close to the riverside, paying respect to the buildings of the old town along the opposite river line.

The mixed-use Core Area serves as bridge-head connecting to the old town, across the river. A cluster of several high-rise office buildings are going to shape a significant sub-center of the entire area. Mixed-use functions that make cities attractive in their day-and-night-rhythm are located here. Due to its modular structure, the Core Area is flexible to react to modified requirements on the timetable of development.
In the centre of the development, serving as a landmark, a little commercial village surrounding a small harbour creates the main attraction. The village – including a high-rise hotel with conference and service facilities – is directly orientated towards the waterfront and enhances the leisure-time atmosphere. Footpaths into the development area and natural hiking paths along the river and green areas will emphasize this area as focal point. To enable pedestrians a carefree and secure street-crossing, a vantage platform as bridge leads from the second level of the commercial village to the riverside with café and restaurant at its end.

The urban structure of residential and landscaped areas create a well-balanced spatial concept with multifaceted relations, links and interfaces. In this decentralized concept, the residential quarters create a livable environment that follows the aim of clearly defined neighbourhoods. Each neighbourhood serves the daily needs of its residents by an adapted offer of shops, retail, services and socio-cultural facilities. The general idea is a city of short distances, which creates a surplus for certain user-groups and assures a vital environment and specific identity for each quarter.

Dongli Lake CBD

Maintaining stability and durability of the overall planning while being flexible to implement a diversified architecture, is the key to every sustainable urban planning.
More than that, a sound urban design is able to shape a bigger image that echoes the remembrance of other cities in the world: The Central Plaza with its radial street system can make people envisage ‘Potsdamer Platz’ in Berlin with its combined performance of contemporary architecture. The echoing between landmark buildings and landscape axis reminds of powerful spatial gestures like ‘La Défense’ or ‘Champs Élysées’ in Paris. The planned large-scale glazed shopping arcades will remind people of the vivid ‘Galleria Vittorio Emanuele’ in Milan.
But the urban planning recalls as well images of Tianjin with its own unique cityscape. The pleasant pedestrian and business spaces along the river evoke the charming city quarters between Haihe River and Race Course Road. At the same time, Dongli Lake CBD is equipped with its own unmistakable features – functional, pragmatic and poetic ones.

The planning area is divided into 3 parts: Two business areas north and south-west of the watercourse, as well as a central Cultural & Administration Area between those two. These three main plots consist of different secondary plots with multiple connections, shaping a graduated hierarchy with corresponding landmark buildings.
Waterfront towers are forming the corporate image of the whole district with a powerful skyline of high-end offices, hotels and business facilities. Landmark buildings in the river-bend area, overseeing and protecting the whole district, will create a visual name card for both Eastern and Western Lake.
The central plot with its mix of culture, entertainment and leisure accommodates the district’s Administration Centre, Museum, Music Hall, Theatre and various recreational facilities close to the lakeshore. Curved buildings embedded in an organic landscape transport the idea of communication and culture. In the northwestern tip of the site, a unique studio building can host outdoor music festivals as cultural brand of the entire Lake District. The audience can directly view the floating stage on the lake, with the landscape as natural stage setting.

The existing water landscape has been developed; additional landscape features have been integrated, focusing on sports functions, meditation and recreation. People will enjoy an exciting mix of green relaxation and dynamic recreation, and experience agreeable lakeshore promenades and splendid riverside environments.
Two landscape axes are forming a unique double corridor that makes full use of the most attractive places as well as the wetland system between lakefront and riverside. A carefully designed landscape bridge with various shapes is crossing the district diagonally and connecting various transportation nodes. Each intersection opens views to multi-layered courtyards, view axes and landmark buildings.