Professional Desk - URBAN DESIGN AND PLANNING OF ZHUHAI XIANGZHOU GREEN CONNECTOR (RSP work)

Please feel free to contact me if you have any feedback on the article and required more information about the project and its firm. Meanwhile, we will be pleased to invite you to submit any good design project or professional article that you want to publish.

Project submitted by RSP Architects Planners & Engineers

Started in 1956, RSP has since grown in scope and scale, to become one of the largest practices in Asia.

Today, RSP Architects Planners and Engineers stands tall & strong, as a renowned multi-disciplinary international corporation. In addition to its home base in Singapore, RSP has established offices in China, UAE, Malaysia, India, and Vietnam, covering operations and service provision that span all continents. The Group’s services range from cutting-edge master-planning & urban design to world-class architecture, engineering and interior design.

With a talent pool of more than 1,200 experts and professionals, our integrated multidisciplinary expertise, honed over six decades of experience, have produced award-winning projects with more than 800+ global awards & accolades.

URBAN DESIGN AND PLANNING OF ZHUHAI XIANGZHOU GREEN CONNECTOR

Excellence In Urban Design, Place-Making & Public Space - Special Mention at the 7th Singapore Institute Planner (SIP) Awards 2021

A striking and bold paved ‘Banzhang Mountain Connector’ meanders through Zhuhai's mountain, conjoining a 13.5-kilometre mountain peak to the adjacent seashore. Previously, the potentiality of Banzhang Mountain was perceived as a hindrance limiting people’s accessibility across the city. However, the design process identified the concealed opportunity and developed a ‘green connector’ that flows and streams through the mountain’s topography. The green connector branches out to peripheral historical spaces, settlements, activity nodes and brings their elements into the mountain ridges creating an interflowing network.

At the outset, a stance was taken that the objective of the project was not limited to the local context. Hence, we altered our scope of work across the city. Four major pedestrian connector lines were proposed. Parts of these connector lines have been successfully constructed in 2020, while the others are operational.

Ecological & Geographical Impact

The proposed connector is responsive to the spatial and environmental context. Banzhang Mountain pans east-west across the city and is interjected by Jining Road perpendicularly. In order to soften the rigid spatial character, organic and flowy ecological linkages of green infrastructure were developed. These green linkages interwove environmental and social components into a peculiar fabric, allowing people and nature to coexist harmoniously. ‘Eco-Link’, acts as a centrepiece to re-establish the ecological connection between two parts of the mountain currently separated by Jining Road.

The purpose of the Eco-Link is not limited to preserving the wildlife habitat, but to also enable the rejuvenation of biodiversity across the green bridge. In terms of structure, the link is designed to deflect and reduce the noise and light from the traffic underneath, enabling it to be more conducive for wildlife. Additionally, the Eco-Link incorporates deck openings which allow sunlight to penetrate the road below. Thus, utilising the solar tube design principles to capture indirect light. Additionally, permeable floor materials were used for the skywalk to allow sunlight and rainwater to pass through the man-made structure for maintaining the plant species and soil under the walkway naturally. Furthermore, the proposed trail was structurally and architecturally dynamic providing different experiences based on the surroundings. The dynamic nature of the trails adds the element of surprise along its pathways to its user.

Banzhang Mountain has monotonous land use. It is concentrated with residential communities at its periphery. These communities lack recreational infrastructure such as walking paths, jogging tracks, leisure spaces etc. Thus, various commercial and recreational activities are sprinkled along the trail to attract the local community and activate social vibrancy. The commercial activities include retails, F&B, neighbourhood centre etc are located towards the western and eastern end of the mountain. The activated ends will hope to serve as attraction points to generate more traffic and visitors to the site by enhancing visibility and creating connections to the city’s existing linkages.

The in-depth site analysis revealed numerous vacant underutilised areas and buildable land with rich historical and cultural significance. These areas have the potential of accommodating additional amenities for the surrounding communities. Furthermore, the design project intends to integrate the large-scale nature green with the local urban green spaces, parks, coastal leisure belt and other tourist destinations in Zhuhai. Thus, revitalising the existing scattered, underused or closed public spaces into a unified network will rejuvenate the social vibrancy and aid the project to meet these needs.

Social Impact

Zhuhai City’s primary mode of transportation is driving. This has led to five to six proposed or constructed tunnels throughout the city. Hence, this project plays a crucial role in changing the user behaviour and trends of the community. The Green Connector provides greener and more sustainable amenities for walking and cycling which are further linked with city’s public transportation. This initiative will motivate the locals to adopt a new lifestyle and further create a new tourist destination for the city.

A comprehensive study was conducted to review the city’s public transportation to promote the greener systems of commuting. Further, the district areas were investigated to combine cycling routes with the Green Connector networks for promoting low-carbon leisure commuting. While the proposed ideas are in action, the constructed walking routes over the Banzhang Mountain has been opened and is accessible to people around the clock.

Nuanced on-site primary research was done to inspect the residents’ lifestyle, behavioural pattern and daily issues. Inaccessibility to the adjacent greenery was the prominent takeaway from our studies. In order to address this issue, the mountain trail design developed three different levels of hierarchy—the main and secondary axes facilitated longer travelling distances from east to west and from south to north, while the third-level connectivity was oriented towards the needs of the residents. Additionally, the design focused on the tenants of inclusivity by creating universal designs such as gentler slops and lower elevations to accommodate the elderly for their daily access and well-being.

Inclusive Design & Strategies

Carry forwarding the tenets of inclusivity, the design developed unique and innovative barrier-free skywalk as a key human-centric feature for this project. Its uniqueness is exhibited by incorporating across-the-board options of vertical transportation. The design features include- 1:16 ramp slopes, elevators, cables cars and funicular. The intention was to equally facilitate the elderlies and disables with unique experiences.

Overcoming Challenges

The design process endeavoured to overcome various challenges. These issues majorly revolved around physical constraints and the strenuous topography of the site.

The on-site excursion conducted by Singapore design team along with Zhuhai LDI led to the demarcation of avertible zones such as- areas susceptible to soil erosion, areas consisting of retaining walls, areas with soft soil incapable of supporting heavy structure and lastly, areas with stiffest contours.

Furthermore, several high-tension electrical towers were situated on the mountains along with cable alignments running through the mountain. Therefore, the proposed design had to circumvent the right-of-way and height restrictions while proposing the design. These constraints were also considered while proposing the helipad location and flight route. The design minimised the light and noise pollution to protect the natural state of surrounding flora and fauna.

Implementation Guidelines

To ensure proper implementation, urban design guidelines for the mountain trails were developed. Some of these guidelines included- minimising the building footprint at ground level and providing building height restrictions reciprocating to the surrounding tree crowns to provide harmonious infrastructure with the environment. Additionally, the other urban design guidelines addressed buffer zones, provisions of trail facilities, signage and various safety measures including specific skywalk designs.

Moreover, initially, constructing the building was strictly prohibited within the reservoir protection boundary. However, RSP perceived the water catchment area as an asset which could be capitalized on as a public space. The team managed to convince the government to change their existing guidelines by showcasing a comprehensive plan which was environmentally sensitive and envisioned a skywalk and boardwalk around the reservoir for the visitor’s amusement.

A Healthy City

Lastly, the Banzhang Mountain Connector acts as city’s lymphatic system stimulating the urban environment and improving the ecosystem. Balanced and progressively filtration system can boost the city’s immunity and community’s health and well-being. The Green Connector and mountain trails tried to bring vibrant social and cultural energy to the city and residents. It is hoped that the future Zhuhai will integrate the city with its mountains and sea. Besides serving the functional purpose, the Green Connector tries to create a natural centrifugal force that encourages people to lead a healthier lifestyle, thus, increasing urban liveability and strengthening the locals’ sense of belonging.