Changsha Eco Tech City
Changsha, China
The Changsha Eco Tech Resort City as envisioned by Asymptote is a 21st century vision for a new urban center that brings together living, working and recreation with nature. The new Resort Center is inspired by the beauty of nature and celebrates the coming together of the sky, earth and water. It aims to join these forces of nature on the project site and from which the life of a new city will grow and thrive.
Transportation
The Changsha Eco Tech Resort City is a lush, green and car free sustainable environment that accommodates a range of living, working and recreational uses. This new center is a destination for visitors and a welcoming environment for businesses and local residents. It will be a vital new hub for the entire Dawang Mountain resort district. While the metro system and LRT are intended to become the main modes of transport around the site. The proposed vehicular roads set forth in the original masterplan are still retained and provide connections to underground parking garages in each district. A network of limited use roads ensures that all areas of the site can be accessed by service, emergency and other permitted vehicles.
Nature
Water is an important element that complements the green spaces with waterside activities and new forms of recreations as well as the accommodation of alternative water based transportation. The variety of diverse green and public spaces provides a compelling natural environment for pedestrians and cyclists to move between various zones of the site.
Sustainability
The new Eco Tech City adheres to a high standard of sustainable design by planning in harmony with aspects of the natural context such as prevailing winds. The abundant water on the site is used not only for recreation, transportation or as a beautiful natural backdrop but also for cooling, and contributes to the environmental performance of the entire site. An opportunity exists to integrate the lake and other water sources into a site-wide energy strategy that will further contribute towards creating a 21st century sustainable urban center. The green landscape not only provides a desirable and healthy environment for inhabitation but the ground enables the absorption and filtering of run-off and rain water for re-use in various ways. The sustainable philosophy of the site would extend to minimizing the amount of earth material that is moved to and from the site. The new topography would be created entirely by transforming the existing ground.
Architecture
The overall effect is a thoroughly contemporary model for a 21st century city where high performance and technologically advanced architecture and infrastructure are inextricably linked. The integration of water, landscape, open space and sustainable practices provides an alternative to today's dense and congested cities. This environment offers a high quality of life in a spectacular and truly 21st century setting.
Date: 2013
Size: Core Area 400,000 m2
Size: Auxiliary 530,000 m2
Location: Changsha, Hunan, China
Architect: Asymptote Architecture
Design: Hani Rashid, Lise Anne Couture
Project Director: John Guida, Yu Nong Khew, Liam Lowry
Design Team: Du Ho Choi, Robert Eleazer, Hong Min Kim,
Paul Mecomber, Matthew Slattery, Xin Wu, Zijie Cao, Natalie Hein
Client: Changsha Xiandao Land Development and Construction Co., Ltd
Structural Engineer: Knippers Helbig Stuttgart
Technology Consultants: Intellectual Ventures