Foster + Partners has been chosen by Masterise Homes to serve as Architectural Advisors for the development of The Global City, an all-inclusive neighborhood in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and the first of its kind in the country for the architecture office. The practice will provide innovative and sustainable design solutions for a fully-integrated master plan that features a full range of facilities, residential units, and connections to highways, major roads, and metro lines.
The 117.4-hectare development is located in An Phu ward, Thu Duc City which boasts excellent connectivity with neighboring districts. The project will include high-rise and low-rise apartments, villas, social housing, schools, medical and administration facilities, a 125,000 sqm shopping mall, along with other amenities that ensure a diverse and mixed-use community. The scale, material selection, and design of the residential buildings are all influenced by the vernacular style of Ho Chi Minh City, referencing to local streets and complementing the city’s existing palette.
To create a balance between biodiversity and human wellbeing within an urban context, the office integrated the buildings with a range of flexible, landscaped public spaces and facilities to create a "holistic and sustainable masterplan for the future". A central green spine and two adjacent waterways will run from the northern to the southern peripheries of the site. Each of the five neighborhoods will have its own distinct character, each developed to meet the needs of its residents. The majority of the high-rise residential buildings will be located on the central boulevard, which also serves as a public park. Pedestrian bridges are added throughout the site to connect the boulevard with the surrounding neighborhoods.
Earlier this year, an integrated team led by Foster + Partners in collaboration with Marge Arkitekter have won a design competition to redevelop Stockholm's central station, Sweden's largest transportation facility. The winning design aims to bring together several modes of transport in an integrated hub, while prioritizing pedestrian circulation and creating a new mixed-use urban district that combines old and new architecture.
