China’s New Port Of Call

China’s New Port Of Call

Zaha Hadid Architects’ new masterplan proposal transforms Shenzhen’s Huanggang Port Area into a world class national centre for technology innovation with green pockets and pedestrian spines.

The lightning fast pace of development in Shenzhen has led to the development of one of the most ambitious masterplans in China. A project designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, the Huanggang Port Area in Shenzhen, China is set to be transformed into a scientific research hub, in collaboration with collaboration in various industries, such as microelectronics, material development, artificial intelligence, robotics, and medical sciences.

Located in the Futian District of Shenzhen, the Huanggang Port serves as a key interchange location within the Shenzhen Bay for nearly 300,000 people crossing over to Hong Kong every day. This newly proposed master plan is set to be an important node of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Science and Technology Corridor. The Huanggang Port Area master plan envisions transforming a port area in the huge megacity into a new science and technology hub, with the reconstruction of the port building as well as the transformation of its empty lots transitioning into the national center for technology innovation.

The reconstruction of the port structure will enable its 1.67 square kilometers to be introduced as a new land usage definition into the port area to transform it into a hub of scientific research and collaboration in industries. The masterplan proposal includes three interconnected districts: the port hub, collaborative innovation area, and port living zone.

The idea of redeveloping the port into a national center for technology innovation is sound, consisting of scientific research centers and laboratories as well as a conference center to host lectures, talks, and events that promote the exchange of ideas and collaboration. In addition, the existing management area and public transport interchange will be transformed into the hub of the district, incorporating offices and hotels for visiting scientists and researchers. Accommodating the future expansion of the research studios and laboratories, the proposal imagines shared podiums and bridging skywalks.

Following up on the reveal of the Shenzhen Science and Technology Museum in Shenzhen earlier this month, Zaha Hadid Architects envisions the new port hub to serve as an important transportation hub and public avenue, forming an essential and logistical part of the corridor. Furthering its prominence as an essential transit-oriented development, the proposed project aims to generate further direct connections with its surroundings. In fact, it incorporates direct connections with Shenzhen’s metro network, at Shenzhen Park in the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Zone.

From a macro level viewpoint, the plan borrows its basal definition from Shenzhen’s existing street layout to its west and establishes a central spine. The spine also then serves as an essential linearly traversable transition between the transit facility on land and the port. At the north eastern end of the masterplan next to the Fulin station of Shenzhen’s Metro, the port living district will include residential developments alongside the port, schools, sports and recreational facilities along with shopping and dining amenities for residents. The design also accommodates the future expansion of research studios and laboratories through shared podiums and skywalks bridging these with adjacent buildings.

A secondary radial grid is superimposed over the primary one centred on the two plazas, further subdividing the urban mass into smaller clusters, while also creating additional circulation routes for functionality. The clusters of buildings formed along the spine and deeper within are designed to have their own plaza, a “nucleus”, an outdoor communal square that along with the two primary civic plazas located at either end of the pedestrian spine creates an interconnected green belt of parklands and wetlands along the Shenzhen River.

Finer details are still light at this early stage, but we do know that the masterplan will feature a wide pedestrian boulevard that connects to a plaza and a public square, while a series of skybridges and raised pathways will provide easy access between the buildings without requiring people to travel to the ground.

Compared to the firm’s previous masterplans, the current one for Huanggang Port Area visually appears to be less flamboyant and more utilitarian in nature. In fact, the masterplan shows off a more structured, ordered conglomeration of masses in response to the sizeable existing context, with just enough disruption with respect to the grid followed by the new masterplan and individual elements, like the neon-lit skywalks.

About Zaha Hadid Architects

Based in London for 40 years, ZHA has redefined architecture for the 21st century with a repertoire of projects that have captured imaginations across the globe. Zaha Hadid Architects stepped up its presence in China since longtime Hadid collaborator Patrik Schumacher took charge of the firm, with recent projects in that part of the world including a sustainable office building, a stunning skyscraper, an entire island, and a huge airport.