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[ Back ]JTP Win Major Masterplanning Competition in Dalian, China
20/09/2012
John Thompson & Partners was awarded first place in the Dalian conceptual masterplanning international competition.
The competition organised by Dalian Diamond Bay Planning & Construction, part of the local government, called for innovative solutions to transform Dalian's 50km long Diamond Bay into a new city centre - home to commercial, financial, residential, tourism, leisure and educational services.
Located in the south of Liaoning province, Dalian is home to a population of over 3.5 million people, and is the largest port in Northeast China. The vision for the site will connect Dalian's existing city centre, located to the south of the site, with Jinzhou Special Economic Zone in the north and the new Jinzhou Airport, adjacent to the site.
JTP was one of three firms shortlisted from a long list of 75 teams for the competition and collaborated with Gillespies and Happold Consulting on its winning entry. The team worked closely through a series of charrettes in London and Shanghai and explored ways to reconnect the city and its citizens to its waterfront, regenerate old industrial areas and create new and distinct places that will both define Dalian for the 21st century while reflecting its rich past and dynamic landscape setting.
The winning proposal calls for eight new "cities" for Dalian: a Prosperous City, a Gateway City, a Green City, a Tourism City, an Ocean City, an Entrepreneurial City, an International Business City, and a Liveable City. The judging panel, which included experts from Peking University, Tsinghua University and Nanjing University, praised JTP's entry, in particular for its bio climatic approach to design, its connectivity to the rest of Dalian and its respectful and careful conservation of the site's existing industrial and cultural heritage.
Partner Alan Stewart, CEO of JTP China, said, "We are delighted that we have won this competition. Dalian is a city in a strategically important location in N E China. It has a rich maritime history which is reflected in its unique and cosmopolitan architecture, places and people. We have tried to capture this uniqueness in this ambitious regeneration project and look forward to developing the plans with the City and the local Planning institute over the coming months."
A design charrette around the competition's winning masterplan is due to take place in the autumn.
