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NEWS
Asia Pacific & Middle East
Atkins to design landmark supertall development in China
Hong Kong – Atkins has been awarded
a contract to design the centrepiece
development for a new expansion
project in Changsha, in the province of
Hunan in China.
Changsha Northstar Real Estate
Development Company will be
developing the Northstar Delta site
to create a new landmark - Northstar
Changsha Centre - on behalf of the
government for the city of Changsha,
and has appointed Atkins to provide
architecture design services for this
development.
The Centre will integrate residential,
cultural, retail and commercial space
of the riverside area to create a central
public space for activities. This will
include a supertall 400 metre landmark
office tower, regional convention
centre, department stores, a five-star
hotel and serviced apartments. The
project will cover a floor area of 406,000
square metres.
Ian Milne, Atkins’ senior design
director, said: “Our design ambition
is to create a spectacular centrepiece
to this important new urban quarter.
Connectivity is a major concept in our
design and we want to connect not
only places, but people. The civic plaza
will be located between the proposed
iconic landmark tower and convention
centre and will be an ideal meeting point
due to its convenient location, plus the
wide range of cultural and recreational
activities that can be staged there.”
Based on existing road planning, the
development has been designed to be
very pedestrian friendly, and a major
civic plaza will connect the buildings
with a network of elevated walkways.
Vertical recesses running up the sides
of the towers will make them look more
slender and the tops of the towers are
‘stepped’ to add differentiation to the
overall shape, ensuring the towers will
create a dramatic and unified group
on the city’s skyline. Sustainability is
another focus for the project, and the
convention centre in particular will
set new standards in passive energy
efficiency due to its careful orientation
and sophisticated roof design. Rows of
large skylights orientated to the north
will bring diffused light into the halls
and foyers below, utilising natural light
effectively.
Curtin University awarded Australia’s first 5 Star Green Star – Communities rating
Sydney, Australia – Curtin University has been awarded
Australia’s first 5 Star Green Star – Communities rating from the
Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA). Western Australia’s
largest university received the rating for its Master Plan, which
will see its Bentley Campus developed into a ‘city of innovation’.
Green Star – Communities is one of the world’s first
independent, transparent, national schemes designed to assess
and certify the sustainability of large-scale master planned
development projects. According to the GBCA’s Chief Executive
Officer, Romilly Madew, the Curtin University Master Plan was
assessed against best practice benchmarks for governance and
innovation, design excellence, environmental sustainability,
economic prosperity and liveability. “A 5 Star Green Star
rating signifies ‘Australian Excellence’, sets new sustainability
benchmarks for Australia’s universities, and provides Curtin
University with independent proof that its vision will deliver
environmental, economic and social sustainability,” said
Ms Madew. “We applaud the leadership demonstrated by
Curtin University, and also acknowledge the hard work and
commitment of the project team responsible for delivering this
outstanding result,” added Ms Madew.
James Rosenwax, AECOM Managing Director, Design,
Planning + Economics, said: “The Curtin University Master
Plan’s 5 Star Green Star Communities certification is a
ringing endorsement of Curtin University’s commitment
to sustainability; AECOM is proud to have been a part of
what is an Australian first. As the master planner consultant
Photo: © Curtin University
for the Curtin University Master Plan, AECOM worked with
the University to embed sustainability through the design
development, then work with the University on documenting
and confirm its sustainability commitments within the Green
Star – Communities rating tool.” The Curtin Master Plan will see
114 hectares of the University’s Bentley Campus transformed
through urban regeneration over a 20-year period. It supports
an urban economy based on education, business, technology,
housing, public transport, the arts and recreation. Stage 1 of
the Master Plan is underway. As part of Stage 1, Wesfarmers
Court – a dynamic economic and innovative hub – was opened
in December last year and was supported by listed company
Wesfarmers.
12 Southeast Asia Building MAY-JUNE 2015