In 2005, the Chinese government announced its target to reduce energy consumption per GDP unit by 20% by the year 2010. After a €300 billion investment over five years, that target has been reached. The Chinese Climate Protection Program laid out goals to increase energy efficiency, development of renewable energies and promotion of energy savings while reducing pollutant emissions and strengthening environmental protection. The “Future City” by SBA Design marks these achievments with a design that promises low-carbon, economic and energy design and manages to support the climate protection process efficiently.
More on the “Future City” after the break.
The planning of the future city is developed on the tourism island of Hainan. Yinggehai, the planning region, is located in the south-west of Hainan and in total covers an area of 176.2 sqkm. The focus area covers 42.8 sqkm; it is one of the most saline areas of the region and is mainly used for salt production by the use of salines. The main themes of the “low-carbon city” are the storage and production of renewable energy and its distribution for use according to demand, in terms of a “smart city”. Low-building heights and eco-tourism are incorporated into the concept.
The architects developed authoritative guidelines for this. A rural-urban interaction, “glo-cal DNA city” and a city of responsibility. This means that each inhabitant shall contribute their share to the city. Ecological awareness shall characterize and continuously develop the city. The basis for this is provided by the urban design concept of a “theme city”. In addition to the common mixed uses such as living, working, shopping and leisure, the master plan provides for each district a center within the city, with nine “units” each and a defining district function, e.g. environmentally-friendly industries and ecological living. The city districts shall operate independently on a daily level and be interconnected by special themes.
Public and green spaces in the form of squares, parks, green axes and canals make possible a life in a natural environment which all the while retains its urban character. The transportation network closely follows the pattern of the salines. The network within the island-like districts is tailored to pedestrians. The road cross section favors pedestrian and bicycle paths as well as bus lanes. The concept of local public transport exceeds what is conventionally held as possible. Here the Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) system will be used. The energy concept uses solar and wind energy as well as rain water, recovery of water resources and energy generation from biological waste. Photovoltaic technology is particularly effi cient in this area. With approximately 300 days of sun per year, an energy potential of 1628-1861 kWh/(qma) is possible. The aim is to create a new urban, local and energy-efficient city landscape, by introducing a new and appealing architecture.
The competition requires the following: environmentally-friendly industries, cultural, information and tourism centers and ecological community buildings, a conference center, exhibitions, marine installations and an off-shore fi nancial center. In this way, the city of the future resembles an organism – which continuously regenerates itself.
Architects: Hong Li and Bianca Nitsch of SBA design Stuttgart / Shanghai Team Members: Jürgen Kunzemann, Cathrin Fischer,Maura Capuano, Qin Zhang, Yongfeng Cui Client: Department of Housing and Construction of Hainan Province Planning target: Pattern of a Future City, Low Carbon demonstration City Project location: Hainan, People’s Republic of ChinaProject area: 176,2 sqkm Focus area: 42,8 sqkm
