Waterfront Masterplan from Atkins
Atkins has produced a landscape masterplan for the development of 30km of prime waterfront in Nanjing, one of China’s four great ancient capitals and the second largest commercial centre in the East China region, in preparation for the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games. The masterplan will provide connectivity and access along its length addressing industrial sites and urban dereliction as well as linking with recent new developments and existing open space. Atkins has also been chosen to oversee the detailed landscape design and construction over the next two years. Mark Kang, Atkins’ project director, said: “A successful landscape must work for all elements; the local culture, the ecology, the people and the businesses that will become part of its fabric. For this project, this was particularly relevant. Due to the layering of the different development phases in Nanjing’s history, the waterfront appears nonhomogeneous and fragmented. “We drew our inspiration from the local silk industry which produces brocade known as Nanjing Yunjin, a series of weaving patterns using a consistent palette of colour threads. The masterplan calls for a coherent design language while highlighting city heritage and fulfilling the needs of contemporary urban living and recreational activities.” The city of Nanjing, on the banks of the River Yangtze, incorporates some of China’s most important historical, ecological and social landmarks and this project is part of a major masterplan to both consolidate and celebrate these aspects within the overall riverside corridor. To undertake this, Atkins’ scope of work includes landscape design, urban planning and tourism consultancy. Covering an area of 11 sq. km, Atkins’ design incorporates seven landscape and activity zones which interconnect yet remain distinctive. The zones feature tourism, leisure, commercial facilities and incorporate natural landscape highlights. Not only will the improvements provide better access to these key features, especially for the visitors to the Games, but will provide a lasting legacy celebrating the heritage of Nanjing along its waterfront.
Atkins