4/13/2011

Dalian's New Airport, the Balanced City by NDA Planning

NDA Planning, an international French-based architectural practice, unveiled its design proposal for the city of Dalian. With a population of 6,17 million for a density of 466.1/sq km (1,207.2/sq mi), Dalian is a seaport and important city in the south of Liaoning province, in Northeast China.
Dalian Aeropolis, Dalian, China, © NDA Planning

The agency announced that the design proposal was built upon the concept of "balanced city".
© NDA Planning

What does "balanced city" mean? One of the major objectives of NDA Planning is to build a "vibrant new urban quarter." The principle is based on combining the city's resources and NDA's innovative development concept. Mostly the New Airport aims to be "the most significant development focal point in the region" the agency says.
NDA Planning's design proposal articulates throughout this concept of "balanced city" 4 core elements:

  • to leverage Dalian's existing assets and make the city the most important hub in Northern China;
  • to rebalance development between the north and the south of Dalian. This will permit to create a perfectly "balanced" new city;
  • To result in a balanced and sustainable land use by ensuring a dependable water supply for the future with the creation of manmade lakes while simultaneously providing the necessary top soil for the large reclaimed area taken from the sea;
  • to recognize the importance of integrating Dalian's existing fishing and agricultural resources with the creation of a natural green sanctuary and the development of local communities in modernized villages.
As Emmanuel Delarue, NDA's CEO and Chief Planner, asserts, "the idea was to design a sustainable morel of economic, cultural, and social development. We wanted each part of the city to be varied and distinct, yet still perfectly in tune with each other in order to create a highly livable city."
New Airport Zone will be divided into 8 main areas with different and distinct characteristics. Yet these 8 areas will be connected to create a perfectly balanced city. This development site will contain:
  1. new airport island
  2. a central business district directly linked with the new high speed train from Dalian to Harbin, capital and largest city of Heilongjiang, located in Northeast China.
  3. a research business park
  4. urban and modern living spaces,
  5. a variety of green leisure spaces and marine development along the shore.

The master plan requires that Dalian New international airport becomes one of the largest air hubs in Northern Asia. Yet a dilemma raises: How to ensure best living conditions of inhabitants near this Airport? If the agency's design proposal does not contain any clear responses to this issue, Jimmy Chan, another NDA's member, nonetheless makes clear that "there's no city without people. It was really critical to us to include this human dimension into our masterplan and create a city that people can be more involved in". Otherwise, NDA's goal will be to ensure best living conditions for inhabitants by taking account of noise pollution and safety.
Another dilemma concerns connectivity towards regional neighbourhoods and national markets. NDA's master plan responds to this issue with a direct link to the Harbin-Dalian — also known as HADA — high-speed railway station.
© NDA Planning

The New International Airport development is announced to be completed by 2016.

Who are they?
NDA is a group of talented designers committed to providing innovative and sustainable design solutions for tackling for the new challenges of a rapidly urbanizing world and creating the better city. First established in 1987 by Emmanuel Delarue, NDA has offices in China, France and in the U.A.E., proving its ability to meet diverse design and business needs.
NDA comprises of four creative design teams specialised in architecture, landscape, urban planning, marina, and waterfront developments respectively known under NDA Architecture, NDA Landscape, NDA Planning and NDA Marine.
NDA's success lies in its global network of reliable local partners, its determinations to give a human dimension to every design, and the insurance that each project is done in accordance with the company's high-quality systems and standards.

Source: archdaily

No comments:

Pageviews last month

Powered By Blogger