ShenZhen bay super city competition UNIT
As Urban Populations are increasing at an exponential speed, there is an increase need to find plausible living space within this tight urban environment to satisfy the demands. But as cities get more and more clustered, it is now necessary to extrude living space from the ground. China has conducted the “ ShenZhen bay super city competition ” to address this issue.
Courtesy of Urban Future Organization and CR-Design
The local architect UNIT have decided to imagine each skyscraper as an isolated island that is connected by a sky street to liberate the ground floor and bring in nature to the complex. The process starts with extrusions of individual volumes that are later adjusted to respond to supposed needs and relationships between pieces. Then after understanding the activities that happens in the lower level, it is lifted and linked to on another, thus creating a continuous flow of public amenities. This “new urban typology” is designed to be idea for social encounters and to create a lively, yet customized high density urban condition. The park on then fuse wild nature and culture into the heart of the bay district providing a green space housing a significant amount of programs such as: cultural facilities, indoor fair and trade area, and commercial space.
Courtesy of Urban Future Organization and CR-Design
These spaces will be designed within the dimensions of the raised space and the pathways are divided into six segments, each with its individual topography. This merge of landscape and architecture will create a hybrid park hosting vibrant activities, superb environment and comfortable spaces that are engaging within a present day urban environment. But it will be interesting to see the effects of this sky street onto the actual street on the ground. The potential danger with having well-designed, beautiful and “privatized” elevated streets are a crime ridden ground level street as there seems to be no planned programming for that level. If such danger does happen, the rich will really able to glaze at the dirty street level via the mirror-like skin of the building in disgust.
Courtesy of Urban Future Organization and CR-Design
Architects: UNIT
Photographs: UNIT
By: Delia Chang
Courtesy of UNIT