NDA Planning, part of NDA Design Associates, an international French-based architectural practice, creates a new ‘Balanced City’ concept that won the international urban masterplan competition against key industry players to design Dalian’s New Airport Zone with MVA, its partner for transportation planning in Dalian, Northern China. The area covered also includes Dalian’s New Sports City and, with a surface area of 168 km2, it is one of the largest development sites ever managed by a foreign design team in China. Dalian Aeropolis, the Balanced City, introduces a vibrant new urban quarter whereby the city’s existing resources and NDA’s innovative development concept blend together in perfect harmony. More images and project description after the break.
Located in the North of Dalian, the New Airport Zone is designed to be the most significant development focal point in the region. In fact, with a surface area greater in size than Central Paris or Manhattan and an estimated incoming population of one million, the winning bid will leverage Dalian’s existing assets and make the city the most important hub in Northern China. The Dalian evaluation committee praised NDA’s proposed masterplan as the best and most forward-thinking solution to rebalance development between the North and the South of Dalian, therefore creating a perfectly “balanced” new city. Emmanuel Delarue, NDA’s CEO and Chief Planner, said, “the idea was to design a sustainable model of economic, cultural, and social development. We wanted each part of the city to be varied and distinct, yet still perfectly in tune with each other in order to create a highly livable city”.
NDA’s masterplan concept provides a balanced and sustainable land use by ensuring a dependable water supply for the future with the creation of manmade lakes while simultaneously providing the necessary top soil for the large reclaimed area taken from the sea. The idea was unanimously approved by Dalian’s committee. NDA’s ‘Balanced City’ concept also recognizes the importance of integrating Dalian’s existing fishing and agricultural resources with the creation of a natural green sanctuary and the development of local communities in modernized villages.
Dalian’s New Airport Zone will be divided into 8 main areas with different and distinct characteristics, but yet will co-exist and connect harmoniously to create a perfectly balanced city. The new development site comprises of the new airport island, a central business district directly linked with the new high speed train from Dalian to Harbin, a research business park, urban and modern living spaces, along with a variety of green leisure spaces and marine developments along the shore.
With the capacity to handle 25 million passengers per year, Dalian’s new international airport is expected to become one of the largest air hubs in Northern Asia. NDA’s proposal took into full consideration noise pollution and safety, putting the quality of life of the new city’s inhabitants first. “There’s no city without people. It was really critical to us to include this human dimension into our masterplan and create a city that people can be more involved in”, said Jimmy Chan, NDA Project Manager.
NDA’s masterplan also recognizes the importance of connectivity towards regional neighbourhoods and national markets with a direct link to the Harbin-Dalian (HADA) high-speed railway station. Dalian’s New Airport is expected to be completed by 2016 and the New Sports center will welcome its first residents for the China National Games in 2013.
