We’ve featured several master plans where countries implement eco-friendly community measures in their newest developments. The desire for a well planned, green city now belongs to South Korea, who announced not one, but two master plans (Foster + Partners’ plan soon to be featured on AD). For the Songdo International Business District, Kohn Pedersen Fox has created a functioning network of over 120 green buildings placed amidst acres of landscaped open spaces. Located on 1,500 acres on the waterfront of Incheon, the $300 billion plan will provide housing for 75,000 residents and handle 300,000 commuters.
More about the sustainable community after the break.
The district takes ideas from international attractions and combines them on the unified 1,500 acre site. For instance, a 100-acre expansive park, dubbed Central Park, helps make the city pedestrain friendly. Italianate canals, Savannah-style parks, Parisian boulevards, and a convention center modeled after Jørn Utzon’s iconic opera house will also be present in the scheme.
Mass transit lines move easily through the layout of parks and buildings, while high density residential areas are balanced with open spaces. In addition to creating a lush environment, the large green spaces will help control storm water retention and reduce the urban heat island effect.
Over 120 buildings intend to achieve LEED certification, making Songdo the largest private LEED development in the world. To make this possible, numerous green strategies are at work in the buildings including but not limited to green roofs, LED lighting, co-generation, waste management systems, and low-VOC materials.
As seen on Inhabitat.
