Langfang Eco-Smart City / Woods Bagot + HOK

Jan 2011

By Hank Jarz — Filed under: Landscape ,Urban Design ,Urban Planning , China, HOK, Langfang, Woods Bagot

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Woods Bagot Architecture and HOK Planning have worked together to generate the master plan for Langfang Eco-Smart City and shared its announcement with us here at ArchDaily. Additional renderings, watercolors and the official press release after the break.

Courtesy Woods Bagot + HOK

HONG KONG – AIA Hong Kong, a chapter of the American Institute of Architects, has recognized the Langfang Eco-Smart City Master Plan with its 2010 Merit Award for Urban Design. Noted for its long-range vision, the master plan sets forth a strategy for transforming Langfang into a model of ecological urban redevelopment, calling attention to the role of existing cities in forging a more sustainable global future. Woods Bagot’s San Francisco studio served as the architect for the planning team led by HOK and CW Group. The award was the only honor given for urban design by the chapter this year.

Located between Beijing and the Tianjin mega-region, Langfang has grown from an agricultural hub of 50,000 in the mid-20th century to a city of 800,000. With the pending completion of the Beijing- Shanghai high-speed rail line, which will stop in Langfang, additional growth opportunities for the city are anticipated. In contrast to the pattern of new city development common in China, the Eco-Smart City Master Plan proposes to intensify existing development patterns within Langfang, preserve the surrounding agricultural land, and integrate ecological systems that restore and enrich the natural habitat—all with an overarching goal of creating an economically, culturally and environmentally vital metropolitan center for future generations.

Three key elements comprise the plan: a City Center Transportation Hub, a Northern Gateway Cultural Corridor, and an extensive wetland and aquifer system. Located in the heart of the city and bridging the high speed rail-line, the transportation hub weaves together transit systems, living infrastructure, and compact development to create a pedestrian-scaled, multi-tiered canopy for working and living. Marking the city’s northern gateway, the Cultural Corridor provides a respite from the density of the city center, offering low-rise, residential blocks, world-class cultural institutions, and a vast, 376-hectare park devoted to ecological restoration.

Courtesy Woods Bagot + HOK

Distributed throughout the city and feeding into the wetland and aquifer system, a network of green corridors and ‘blueways’—integrated landscape and water features—form a connective, multifunctional infrastructure for harvesting water, restoring biodiversity, and enhancing the city’s sense of place and identity. Supported by an economic strategy that encourages ecologically restorative industries in alternative energy, public transit, and organic agriculture, as well as in health and education, Langfang’s Eco-Smart City master plan establishes a comprehensive, future-oriented vision.

Walking Radius Diagram

The Eco-Smart City master plan was approved by the city of Langfang earlier this year. Implementation of the City Center Transportation Hub is currently underway.

: © Woods Bagot

: Courtesy Woods Bagot + HOK

: © Woods Bagot

: © Woods Bagot

: Courtesy Woods Bagot + HOK

: Walking Radius Diagram

: Green Space Diagram

: Water Space Diagram

: Cultural Corridor Pedestrian Diagram

: Cultural Corridor Vehicle Diagram

: Cultural Corridor LRT Diagram

Cite:
Jarz , Hank . "Langfang Eco-Smart City / Woods Bagot + HOK" 29 Jan 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 21 May 2012. <http://www.archdaily.com/107090>

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QQP says:

I always find these over-designed, architectural-heavy masterplans to be less sustainable and less capable to adapt to unpredictable changes over time. I like the idea of introducing green, but do we really need to elevate these corridors and create so much unneeded structures?

# January 29, 2011 at 20:28

james says:

i fully agree. Considering construction is the most environmentally unsustainable aspect of a building’s life, you would expect the architects to make a concerted effort to minimise it, (if they are serious about green design).
It shouldnt be a suprise that they dont care though. this green washing is nothing more that pc remarketing of stuff architects were designing 30 years ago.

# January 29, 2011 at 21:49

fengjun says:

I know this city，because our team did the whole city’s eco-planning，but how will the government control the next development is a big problem！
you guys can see something about it on this website http://www.bluepathcity.net/

# January 29, 2011 at 22:33

john says:

“Considering construction is the most environmentally unsustainable aspect of a building’s life”

Actually you are quite wrong. The energy a used by a building over its lifetime, is far FAR greater than the embodied energy needed for its construction, however it is built.

# January 30, 2011 at 08:57

Kubster says:

You have to take in consideration that there is going to be development in this area, whether it is green or not. Therefore the construction to house more people will happen. I may not agree of a complete make over (if that is what they are doing), but I think planning to house the new development with green buildings is ideal.

# January 30, 2011 at 11:19

Atari T. says:

Planning and constructing a city from Scratch is a doomed approach in my opinion. A city as a whole is simply too complex to be fully understood by a single Team of Architects no matter how big that team may be. Lets be honest even single buildings are too much to handle for many of us.

Building a City is no work for a individual, its the combined effort of thousands of people over multiple Generations.

effective legislation for greener building standards are the way to build a green city not gigantic greenwashed daydreams

i like the hand drawings though

# January 31, 2011 at 18:43

Turd Ferguson says:

^^ Uhm, you guys do know that planning for the future is more than blindly believing that CO2 will cause the end of the world?

# February 11, 2011 at 12:31

James Biber says:

Attention, this is fully a HOK design, Not Woods Bagot.
Woods Bagot on their attents of markting “team up” with some convenient practice to publish something to put their name out there as their non australian offices are seriously strugling for work.
So Well done HOK, I had the pleasure of contributing to this project and must say, although a bit to conceptual, but definetely a step fowrward on this matter.

# November 23, 2011 at 16:26

EM says:

Another masterplan done by non-urban designers..

Everything in this masterplan is wrong.. over deisgned, mega structure-like, unflexible, total lack of urbanity, no difference of quality of spaces, and of course totally not grounded economically.

putting the label “eco-smart city” on this one is simply revolting

# February 9, 2012 at 08:49

9:38 PM Jan 29th

Bocetos Digitales

Langfang Eco-Smart City / Woods Bagot + HOK: Courtesy Jet Chai HOKWoods Bagot Architecture and HOK Planning have… http://bit.ly/grLKDB

9:42 PM Jan 29th

Peter Newton

RT @ArchDaily: Langfang Eco-Smart City / Woods Bagot + HOK http://archdai.ly/g6T5Ut #architecture

9:48 PM Jan 29th

Vincent Beneche

RT @archdaily: Langfang Eco-Smart City / Woods Bagot + HOK http://archdai.ly/g6T5Ut #architecture

9:49 PM Jan 29th