China's city of the future moves step closer in Greater Bay Area plan
Phoebe Zhang
4 min read
China's southern technology powerhouse of Shenzhen has set on a design for a flagship public open space, part of its ambitious plans to create a new city centre.
The winning design, by Berkeley-based TLS Landscape Architecture and London architectural firm AZMPL, was announced in July. Tom Leader, founder and principal of TLS, said "Super Campus" had been modelled on places like the Harvard Yard, the oldest part of the US university's campus.
The public space will be a central green axis between the numerous skyscrapers planned for the Shenzhen Bay Super Headquarters Base project, which will see the creation of a new business district on the waterfront.
An artist's impression of the campus-style open space. Photo: Handout alt=An artist's impression of the campus-style open space. Photo: Handout
The city centre masterplan is part of the Greater Bay Area scheme, which aims to link Hong Kong and Macau with Shenzhen and eight other cities in the southern province of Guangdong to form an economic and business hub.
The 117-hectare Super HQ Base will contain offices and three signature towers. Construction has already started on headquarters for world-class companies, including telecommunications giant ZTE and China Vanke, the mainland's third-largest home builder.
City authorities are hoping to attract more business relocations to the development which will also have venues for international conferences, exhibitions and cultural and art programmes. A government report shows it expects to accommodate 300,000 workers. The plan had received a total investment of 43.4 billion yuan (US$6.2 billion) by the end of 2019.
Scandinavian firm Henning Larsen will design the district, along with Chinese consortiums Shenzhen Cube Architecture and Swooding Architects, as well as the Urban Planning & Design Institute of Shenzhen and Why Art Projects SL.
The TLS design for the open space is composed of four specific environments - a botanical forest and pool, a transport node, a grassland dedicated to cultural performance, and a coastal zone with wetlands and bird habitat - and will link Shenzhen's urban fabric and ecological systems.
The public open space in Shenzhen's new city centre will feature four distinct environments. Photo: Handout alt=The public open space in Shenzhen's new city centre will feature four distinct environments. Photo: Handout
"The project is surrounded by really dense urban development as a home for various headquarters including tech. There will be numerous towers along with lower scale offices, and some mixed use including residential," Leader said.
The schematic design will be fleshed out over the next four months, followed by six to eight months of further study and technical design before work on the open space can begin, he said.
TLS is lead consultant for the project and will work in cooperation with AZPML, which will focus on architectural structures such as canopies, connections to below-ground facilities and transit stations for trains and buses.
The Greater Bay Area plan has been touted by the Chinese government as a world-class urban cluster of the future, comparable to San Francisco in the US, and a hi-tech hub, with plans in place to deepen financial systems and infrastructure.
At a press conference in April, Zhang Xuefan, head of Shenzhen's housing and construction department, called the Super HQ project a "pinnacle work" that showcased the competitiveness and influence of the Greater Bay Area.
Zhang said it would be a model of the future, integrating clusters of global headquarters, urban cultural highlands, international exchange centres, and world-class coastal living rooms.
The Greater Bay Area plan has been touted by the Chinese government as a world-class urban cluster of the future, comparable to San Francisco in the US, and a hi-tech hub, with plans in place to deepen financial systems and infrastructure.
At a press conference in April, Zhang Xuefan, head of Shenzhen's housing and construction department, called the Super HQ project a "pinnacle work" that showcased the competitiveness and influence of the Greater Bay Area.
Zhang said it would be a model of the future, integrating clusters of global headquarters, urban cultural highlands, international exchange centres, and world-class coastal living rooms.
The ambitious plan to transform the Greater Bay Area into a hub rivalling Silicon Valley is not without challenges.
At a meeting of the national political advisory body on Wednesday, Zhu Xiaodan, who heads its Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and Overseas Chinese committee, presented a review that revealed a number of shortcomings. These included not enough research facilities and poor coordination and flow of talent and capital between the cities.
"The region needs a boost in attracting international innovation resources," he said. "Investment in science and technology research and development in Hong Kong and Macau are also lacking."
