Empowering the Potential of Green in a New Waterfront Hub: The Urban Design of Guangzhou Haizhu Innovation Bay

T. Y. Lin International Engineering Consulting (China) Co., Ltd.

Short description

Located on the southern bank of Haizhu District, the site is an important gateway node in the Pearl River Back Channel. Based on the scale of urban design, the planning team first replanned the aboveground and belowground transportation network. Two of the newly built twin towers will be considered as the gateway, and the retired viaduct will be transformed into a green belt. Combined with the waterfront landscape, the end result is the realization of a new, eco-friendly waterfront, with a plethora of functions gateway city.

The traffic conditions in and around the planning area of Haizhu Innovation Bay are complex, and the South Ring Highway clearly divides the site between north and south. In addition, the buildings in the region are mainly old, low-scale factories. As a result, the area’s visual impression is not good and it lacks industrial capacity. The existing industries in the planning area are mostly low value-add manufacturing, wholesale distribution, and retail. Low land utilization and poor efficiency are prominent issues. Due to the future plans for the underground development of the South Ring Highway, urban renewal has become increasingly important. For instance, sustainable development, removal of original elevated structures, integration of land resources, and replacement of functional business forms have become explored in this design.

Facing the four core issues of traffic conditions, ecological culture, visual image, and economic development, the planning team focused on the opening and sharing of space, plant coverage, and urban landscape construction. Through the integration of multiple functions, the 158.1-hectare site was divided into three phases to carry out the design and planning.
The first step is improving traffic flow by optimizing the network system of the Haizhu Bay Tunnel and its relevant underground and surface roads. Next, the retired east-west South Ring Highway will be transformed into an urban green belt, and the north-south North Ho Chung River will be connected to the back channel of the Pearl River to create a recreational ecological waterfront system. Furthermore, the design aims to transform the industrial heritage buildings in the region, and with the South Ring Highway viaduct as the boundary, the north and south sides are planned as digital innovation and technology research areas, respectively, in order to attract companies from emerging industries. With commercial and residential areas, the site will integrate and enhance a multitude of functions, ultimately building a new impression of Haizhu gateway centered on technological innovation and green ecological development.

The Innovative Design of the “Green Shade Corridor”
In solidarity with the principles of sustainability and low carbon emissions, this urban design project adopts the eco-friendly system of “one corridor and one ring” to transform the South Ring Highway viaduct into a core green belt of urban life. In order to create an ecological linear park, the “broken concrete” construction method is used to open up the viaduct and reconnect the relationship between the upper and lower layers. Furthermore, with the rainwater transmission and irrigation system, plants are extended from the top of the viaduct to the bottom. The space below the viaduct calls on and continues the tradition of arcade space in Guangzhou, implanting cultural, business, and parking functions to create a dynamic urban space that meets the living needs of residents. This green system extends into a circular air corridor that connects four functional areas (culture and arts, residence, industry, and nature). It also separates pedestrian and vehicle traffic, allowing for greater efficiency and safety.

Architectural Design of the Core Site
The North Ho Chung River waterfront axis flows from south to north and follows the urban design concept of “double heart and double belt”. Through two waterfront belts between North Ho Chung River and the back channel of the Pearl River, two groups of “Twin Tower” core buildings at the north and south hubs are connected.

The “Nanzhou Sky Pier” on the north side focuses on the integration of old and new buildings. The design of the main and auxiliary towers and the podium form a multi-level spatial layout to meet the future needs of high-tech businesses, R&D offices, and other innovative forms of commerce. This area also continues the function of a transportation hub, in order to meet the needs of mass transport-oriented development (TOD) urban renewal.
The second Twin Star building, “Haizhu Cloud Sails” is located on the south side. Its focus is on the effective utilization and integration of traffic, and it proposes a reservation scheme for the shielding section of the below Haizhu Bay Tunnel. The retreating podium design, different from the north side, lays more emphasis on the construction of green ecology and the urban landscape facade of the Pearl River Back Channel. Giving full consideration to the construction timeline and the influence of the buildings on the tunnel, the design rationally arranges the underground space to reduce the difficulty of later construction, while meeting the realistic conditions of phased construction, building functionality, and tunnel maintenance.

The Urban Design of Guangzhou Haizhu Innovation Bay puts forward newer, greener possibilities of urban space and industrial form. Considering the construction timeline and the influence of construction on the Haizhu Bay Tunnel, the design utilizes and arranges the underground space effectively, which reduces the average plot ratio from 4.7 to 3.7 without lowering the total development area. In addition, measures to improve the site’s transportation network have added approximately 100,000 m2 of developable surface area. Lastly, in terms of sustainability, the design preserves and transforms the South Ring Highway viaduct, giving the retired infrastructure a second life, and adds a 2 km long linear park with an area of 4.8 hectares to the city. The planning team collaborated with teams specializing in transportation, landscape, architecture, structure, business, and many other subjects to carry out a bold attempt of TOD urban renewal, providing a comprehensive roadmap for future projects of this nature.