Tianjin New Harbour Dockyard

Tianjin New Harbour Dockyard - Conceptual Urban Planning

Infrastructure

Starting point of the planning has been to develop a logical order based on infrastructure and traffic system. This logical grid has formed the backbone of the urban concept.
Beside the car traffic, the subway connections as important urban coordinates have been deeply integrated into the urban planning concept. North and south of the elevated highway, the subway entrances/exits and their pedestrian connections into the centre of the new harbour quarter have been worked out as urban spaces undisturbed by crossing traffic flows. The Northern subway exit is generously integrated into a welcoming glazed hall leading passengers to an elevated platform which - as a comfortable bridge - crosses the 6 lanes main traffic road. Below the platform itself commercial functions are integrated. Seen from upon the platform, the visitor’s view axes focus on the shopping galleries on the one hand, or they lead along the canal towards the waterfront promenade, opening up the whole panorama of the new harbour city and creating a clear orientation. Coming from the Southern subway exit, the pedestrian traffic is leading directly through the Science Campus towards the urban centre along the promenade.
The entire infrastructures – car traffic, public transport and pedestrian network – are in-terwoven and completing one another, forming an urban grid which integrates and com-bines neighbourhoods of different uses in a logical way.

Urban structure

Architecture is giving a third dimension to the infrastructure by forming adequate and memorable urban spaces along the arteries of development. The secret of European urban planning is its ability to develop urban spaces of suitable scale out of the major elements of infrastructure, like squares and streets, canals and parks etc.
Different functions as well as their location and interconnection are logical results of the urban infrastructure. Quarters of distinct character and qualities are being created, but held together by public streets. Streets are not treated as separating borders, but as integrating public spaces.

Integrated City

The city of the future is an integrated city that lives day and night, 24 hours, because its functions are mixed. The city of the future is the integrated city where living and working move closely to-gether and complete one another.

Living

Two residential communities of different character have been integrated into the mixed-use urban pattern. The first one, protected by residential high-rises along the elevated highway, will provide living along the canal. It will create a new living quality which is closely connected to the idea of a harbour city, even with a certain distance from the harbour basin. Its courtyards open up towards the canal and provide a comfortable and attractive pedestrian connection to all important destinations of the quarter and its vicinity. The second residential compound provides high-end living protected from the noisy streets and opening towards the park. The views of its residents will go towards the south, to the sea and the park, catching the landmark building along the pier and experiencing the whole skyline of the waterfront promenade.

City of images

A self-renewable urban structure is able to create its own history - with memorable im-ages and spaces. Successful urban planning creates images that remind of other cities. By places of memory, every city is at the same time itself and another city:

_The Promenade along the harbour reminds of the ‚Promenade des Anglais’ in Nice with its glamorous hotels

_The Wharf Park around the former dockyards reminds of the ‚Upper East Side Park’ in New York

_The transformed traffic square in the North reminds of ‚Potsdam Square’ in Berlin

_The shopping street with its natural stone buildings is like Berlin’s splendid boulevard ‚Unter den Linden’ or its ‚French Street’

_The grand gallery reminds of the passages of Milan or Paris connecting public squares, forming entire towns under a protecting glass roof, creating a shopping universe with courtyards and streets (lanes)

_Finally, the water course which brings the sea deep into the city is evoking images of Amsterdam or Copenhagen.

Historical identity

When designing urban areas in a responsible way, planners should always consider the real potential of a location - in history and future. The existing factory buildings play an important role in giving a distinct identity to the place (similar to the Harbour City in Hamburg / Germany - the biggest urban planning project in Europe).
Being landmarks and symbols for the urban transformation, these buildings are kept as eye-catchers in the focus of important visual axes. They mainly accommodate cultural uses. In spite of all memories of important places of the world, this urban quarter is a unique creation with its own personality (charisma). It is old and new at the same time.

Public Spaces

A city is incomplete if it does not provide green spaces, parks and squares.
The new harbour quarter is giving the most expensive construction site along the water as a public park to its citizens. This park – as a trademark of a livable city - will be the magnet for thousands of visitors searching for recreation in this green shoreline within the old dockyards. By a water front boulevard, the Wharf Park is connected with the adjacent city areas and will attract and lead many people along the water’s edge.
A second public space, dedicated to serve for assemblies and festivities, the Central Plaza, is formed out of the historical heritage of the place: A gantry crane and a former factory hall, interlocked (combined) by a timber platform, are forming an ensemble of new open space quality able to convey the charisma (character) of the historical use.
At the same time it is an ideal place for open air theatre, movies or musical performances. The big square combines park and boulevard by a continuous green roof.
The intersection of these three urban elements will create an unmistakable identity.
Finally a third area for public uses comes as a side-effect of the traffic infrastructure. The big open spaces below the elevated highway are looking for a reasonable and suitable way to be used. At the same time this place can help to integrate the new harbour quarter with its existing Western neighbourhoods.
Nothing seems more suitable than integrating all kinds of sports facilities here in order to use the spatial opportunities below the bridge construction in a new and exciting way. A special sort of “gymnasium” could attract young persons from both urban quarters. Apart from that almost every sports or leisure activity can take place, from field and court games, to golf and skate courses. In the evenings the bridge construction will receive its own spatial character by spectacular illumination.

Flexibility as principle

Public spaces are moulding and connecting: quarters, clusters, neighbourhoods which themselves are intended to develop independently.
A successful city defines spaces for public life, and others that are open for the modifica-tions of the future. The key to sustainable urban planning is: Permanence and stability on one side, openness and variability on the other side. Regulation and de-regulation at the same time.

City of invisible decisions

One of the secrets of forming urban environments where people feel at ease, is to create a “city of invisible decisions”, i.e. a place where everything seems to exist in the most natural way, as if it had always been there. That means planning in a sensitive and rather casual way – without heroic gestures – for the people who are living and working in this area. Such a planning is functional and practical (pragmatic), but also poetic and rich in images - like every big city. If following these principles, the new harbour quarter has best potential to become a self-renewable part of the city. A unique network - formed by on-site facts and findings, by infrastructure, urban spaces and mixed functions - will finally create a recognizable and memorable identity.

Boulevard and park

The Boulevard is on one hand part of the shore promenade and on the other hand the connection towards the “Ocean-Plaza”. It is equipped on the waterside with a double line of trees, lighting columns, benches and an elegant granite pavement. On the urban side the boulevard is extended by arcades for shaded walk. The materials used for furniture’s lighting equipment. Pavement and handrails reflect the harbour character and create a link to the former use of the area as shipyard. On the old jig and slipway area, the boulevard is widen to an urban park with the major elements as the tree shaded central plaza, the modified old docks, the great lawn, and the tree groves with a rich and colourful plantings below on both sides. The tree-roof create a strong visual and physical link between the boulevard, harbour forum and park as well as a perfect place used for a wide range of activities with his sha-dow and the pavement made from compacted chippings. The big lawn allows the open view to the water and could be used for kiting, badminton or other outdoor activities. The first dock will be changed to an artificial wetlands that acts as colourful and rich garden as well as technical facility to clean and store water for the channel and the water pool created in the second dock. The water level of the pool is raised to the level of the park. The pool is in summer time a garden with lotus and iris and in winter as ice rink a main attraction of the park.
The two tree groves on both side of the park can be explored on many small paths. A colourful and rich planting from perennials under the trees of the west side groove is one of the highlights of the park in summertime. In springtime with many tulips and other bulbs ad in autumn fall with large grasses and colourful leaves the east side grove enrol his special character. The area of park is raised with planting soil above 50 to 60 cm. The existing concrete surface shredded to a drainage layer. The gentle raising of the land and drainage layer protect the new planting from brackish water. For bigger trees are salt tolerant species selected.
East and westwards of the park two large staircases connect the promenade with the water. The Westside staircase is build from stone and equipped with wooden benches, the east side staircase is in the upper part (over the high tide level) build as wooden deck.