LOCATION
Xiangmihu District, Shenzhen, China
DATE
2018
SIZE
185 ha
TYPE
International Urban Design Competition
STATUS
2nd prize
CLIENT
Urban Planning, Land & Resources Commission of Shenzhen Municipality
PROJECT TEAM
Martin Arfalk, Patrick Verhoeven,
Konstantin Miroshnychenko, Cyril Pavlu,
Pia Kante, Liang Chunhua
COLLABORATORS
WSP Finland
Xiangmihu Lake District
A vision for the new urban district
Xiangmihu area is located in the Shenzhen river valley, and has great potential to be developed into major green corridor, connecting Tanglang mountains in the North to Shenzhen Bay in the South. Xiangmi Lake, with its 28 ha water surface surrounded by large green area, serves as a catalyst for this new green corridor in the city.
Two interconnected N-S spines are introduced: the Civic spine, aligned to the western shore of the Xiangmi lake, offers a prominent public waterfront with a multitude of diverse cultural and commercial activities; and the Landscape spine along the eastern shore, restoring natural habitat and providing water treatment and research facilities and hosting educational, leisure and active recreation programs. Together these two spines constitute an interconnected Lake Loop, reactivating Xiangmi Lake socially and ecologically, and integrating nature and the city. Both spines connect to the existing developments north and south of the site, establishing the larger green corridor.
Parallel to the civic spine, the mid-rise office zone - ’Office Campus’ - is established around the creek park, offering pleasant working environment connected with nature. In the south, the high-density office core - ’Finance Street Zone’ - is connected to Shenzhen CBD via Shennan Boulevard and public transit, offering an interconnected network of small green parks and ponds with the large Central Park at the center of the development. The Conference Center is located at the boundary between the two office zones and is open to Civic Spine, allowing for public use of its expansive premises.
Xiangmihu Lake Site
The Xiangmihu Lake District is situated between Tanglang Mountains and Shenzhen Bay, 2 km west of Shenzhen CBD and 30 km away from Hong Kong CBD. The site is located at the intersection of two major urban axis: Xiangmihu Road and Shennan Boulevard.
Green Framework
The site establishes the large green corridor, connecting Tanglang Mountains in the North with Shenzhen Bay in the South. The corridor helps restoring natural habitat around Xiangmi Lake. Two spines - civic and landscape - constitute the framework for the development, integrating city and nature.
Two spines
Two Spines - Civic and Landscape - offer very distinct characters, yet both are aiming to maximize the opportunities presented by the Xiangmi Lake.
Program
Office and related facilities constitute the prevalent program for the site, with complementary residential and hotel buildings in each zone. The Conference Center is a key node integrating the north and south parts of the site. Cultural and commercial programs are located along the N-S civic spine, while educational, leisure, recreational, and sports programs are placed along the landscape spine in the north-west.
Landscape Spine
Along the three paths of the Landscape Spine (educational, leisure and active), one can find bird watching towers and habitat research facility, water treatment demonstration center, leisure nodes and a sports center.
Civic Spine
The Civic Spine offers many possibilities to enjoy water and public life: sightseeing in Ferris wheel, swimming in outdoor pools, renting a boat or kayak, enjoying arts at the museum or performance center with open-air amphitheater, or dining at one of many waterfront restaurants and cafes.
Flood mitigation
Xiangmi Lake provides capacity to absorb large amounts of water and prevent Xiangmi Area from flooding during extreme weather events.
Lake Loop
The Lake Area Loop offers wide range of diverse activities on both Civic and Landscape sides.
Xiangmihu Lake District
The site is divided into several zones with unique identities: Finance Street office zone in the south, Office Campus zone in the North-West, Conference Center in the center, Civic Spine along the western lake shore, and large Landscape zone in the North-East.
Nature and the City
The landscape and civic spines are connected to the existing developments both to the North and South of the site, establishing larger N-S green corridor. Compact high-density urban environment is connected to existing infrastructure, allowing for green areas to be preserved and further expanded.
Office Campus
Office Campus Zone is situated on the banks of the creek with landscape area around it, and offers alternative office environment integrated with nature.
Finance Street Zone
Finance Street Zone accommodates high-density office development, and is well-connected to the existing Shenzhen CBD via Shennan Boulevard and public transit. The area offers a network of distributed small parks, with large Central Park connected to the Landscape Zone at its core.
Conference Centre
The Conference Center serves as a key node integrating Finance Street Zone and Office Campus, and inviting public to use its expansive premises oriented towards the Civic Spine.
East-West Link
The bridge connecting the Conference Center with the Landscape Zone across the lake establishes east-west link between existing developments and recently constructed park adjacent to the design site.
