NL URBAN SOLUTIONS WINS TWO BLUEWAY, RIVER UPGRADING PROJECTS IN SHENZHEN
In Shenzhen, the ambitious Blueway program aims to recover 1000 kilometres of existing rivers, riverfronts, and lakes by 2025. With scenic rivers and lake shorelines as basis, Shenzhen wants to achieve a vision that urban life and industry exists in harmony with safety, ecology, and environmental quality.
In May 2020, the consortium NL Urban Solutions, Lingnan Landscape Design Group and China Design Group (hydrology) was shortlisted in one time as the only bidding consortium for three international Blueway competitions in Shenzhen: Xinqiao river, Shiyan river and Songang river.
Only one month later NL Urban Solutions and the consortium was with their creative and realistic concept design proposal the winner in two Blueway projects: Xinqiao river and Shiyan river.
“ The currently neglected river space and riverfronts can truly become a central green-blue public space, enriching citizens’ quality of life. The focus of the design for the reservoir areas is to recover the ecology, water quality and make accessible reservoir parks with low impact recreation.”
By winning (June 2020) the design competition for Xinqiao River – Changliupi Revervoir and Shiyan River – Niugudou Reservoir, the consortium got also the follow up design task to construction design. The task includes two rivers of 11 km long river front and two reservoir lake areas.
The investment for each combined river and reservoir project, is between 570-740 million RMB.
The design deepening and feasibility reports for both rivers are expected to be approved in January 2021.
The implementation is expected to start in April 2021.
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Multiple and innovative design solutions
In our designs for the two rivers, we combine the five main goals of the Blueway project: ensure water safety, improve water quality, make greenways with continuous slow traffic paths along the riverfronts, recover ecology, improve city environment including city-river connection. We bring in smart solutions to enlarge the limited space and ensure connectivity with the city, resulting in a lively, green, and ecological river space, with a chain of small pocket parks, sport, culture and recreational services for the citizens to enjoy the public space and to be connected by attractive slow traffic paths along the river and the reservoir parks.
Water as leverage for urban regeneration.
The two Blueway projects aim to contribute to the ecological recovery, integrate culture and city life, create economic prosperity. Local culture is elaborated in the design of activities, material choice and design language. Attractive and accessible riverfronts give a boost to the ongoing and future city renewal and regeneration of the surrounding industrial and residential areas.
According to the jury: “ The conceptual scheme and the design results present its in-depth understanding of the project from different angles, and provide multiple and innovative design solutions for the creation of the most beautiful waterfront public space.” Besides the quality of the proposal, the consortium offers a complementary team with convincing experience to take the follow up design tasks up to realization.
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Illustration winning proposal masterplan Xinqiao river and Changliupi reservoir
Illustration improved riverfront Xinqiao
Illustration viewpoint Changliupi reservoir ecological park
Illustration winning proposal masterplan Shiyan river and Niugudou reservoir
Illustration improvement city-river relation along Shiyan river
Illustration Niugudou reservoir
