A team of urban design students from the Harvard Graduate School of Design has won first prize in UD Shanghai’s 2015 International Student Urban Design Competition for the Shanghai Railway Station Area. Through the competition, the team reimagined the “Shanghai Railway Station, one of the city’s four major railway stations and one of China’s major rail hubs, in the context of the next round of the Shanghai Master Plan (2020 to 2040). In particular, the competition asked teams to promote walkability and smoother traffic patterns,” where the station creates a topographical gap, “and to consider thee-dimensional urban development around the station.”
The competition furthermore focused on the idea of the enrichment that can come from urban infrastructure if it is useful and engaging to a diverse population.
The winning proposal, entitled “Zhabei New Gateway: Designing a New Global Centrality for Shanghai,” addresses topography, mobility, and urban morphology through an elevated railway platform with an asymmetrical cross-section that allows for smooth grade and pedestrian transitions.
Additionally, the plan features a priority for the establishment of large-scale parks and plazas connected by a system of pedestrian walkways that extend from the Shanghai Rail Station to the Baoshan Road, promoting accessibility to a wide range of people and activities.
The student team comprised Kyriaki Kasabalis (MAUD ’16), Michael Keller (MLA/MAUD ’16), and Kitty Tinhung Tsui (MAUD ’16), was advised by Martin Bucksbaum, Professor in Practice of Urban Planning and Design Joan Busquets, and carried out in collaboration with Dingliang Yang (MAUD ’14, DDes ’18).
Overall, the project spans 460,400 square meters. Learn more about the project here.
News via the Harvard Graduate School of Design.
