Overview

Suzhou Eco-Town


Suzhou, China

Project type: Settlement Extension
Location: Suzhou, China
Client: Suzhou New District Government
Stage: On-site
Programme: 2010–2013

Suzhou is a city located west of Shanghai in the south-east of Jiangsu Province, eastern China.

The 6 sq km site is predominantly agricultural and is located close to the shores of Tai Lake; the third largest lake in China.

“
The design proposal is life orientated. It’s low carbon, designed bioclimatically, and encompasses a slow movement strategy with 48% green space.
Urban Planning Bureau, Suzhou New District Government

The brief was to develop the first phase of the new Suzhou Eco town with a focus on delivering financial viability to enable long term sustainability. Whilst at present China’s overall environmental footprint is relatively low, peaks highlight growing patterns of unsustainable development in urban areas.

The team won the project through an invited, international competition.

Project Delivery

  • An approach to urban design based on integrated planning processes combining local context, tradition, and an understanding of local conditions and climate with principles of European Urbanism.
  • A masterplan that embraces the traditional Chinese principles of south facing, east-west orientated streets and combines them with bio-climatic strategies applied at a variety of scales, from city to urban block, to reduce the amount of energy used for heating in the winter and cooling in the summer.
  • A masterplan informed by the concept of agro-urbanism that establishes a functional inter-relationship between the production, distribution and consumption of food by connecting urban areas to agricultural land between the Eco-town and Tai Lake.
  • A network of existing canals to be used for flood control, irrigation, cleansing of eutrophication and water transport, enabling farmers to bring their produce to strategically located floating markets in the urban centres.
  • A compact and functional town centre layout to encourage the use of healthy, environmentally-friendly modes of transport and discourage the use of private cars.
  • An integrated transport system to serve the eco-town and connect it to Suzhou.
  • A main town centre surrounded by eight walkable neighbourhoods, each with its own local centre to provide services for the local community.
  • An ‘eco-station’ in each centre to process domestic and agricultural waste using Terra Preta, a grey and black water treatment system that produces rich soil for use in agriculture.
  • An environmentally-based Design Code to govern development.

The video below describes the innovative bio-climatic design and collaborative process that formed the first phase of this low carbon settlement.

Awards

Green Dot Awards 2012
Honorable Mention
Urban Design Group Project Awards 2011/ 2012
Shortlisted
Suzhou International Competition 2010
First Prize

Project type: Settlement Extension
Location: Suzhou, China
Client: Suzhou New District Government
Stage: On-site
Programme: 2010–2013
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Project Team
Joanna Allen
Joanna Allen
Partner
Collaborators
Joachim Eble Architektur
Tags
Bioclimate, Sustainable, Design Codes, Waterside, Transport
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