Location: Changsha,
Client: Modern Group
Description: Solar masterplan for large site with initial 'demonstration' scheme
Start / Completion: Summer 2006 - 2010
Notes:

This new 1.4 hectare 'ZEDquarter' masterplan is a new urban expansion to the regional city of Changsha, the capital of the Hunan province. In the first instance we are building a demonstration community of 3 buildings including one office building for MG Huand Land ltd's headquarters and one community building complete with sales area, exhibition, small hotel and bar, offices, showflats, a conference facility, cinema, bar, restaurant and sports facilities including a swimming pool. If the public appreciate the concept it will be expanded to become a new mixed use residential / commercial urban regeneration on the site of a nearby cement works. The urban block enclosed reduces the urban heat island effect through encouraging prevailing wind to blow hot stale air through the whole site, therefore dropping the ambient hot summer temperatures around 3 degrees. This allows the heat pump cooling system for the homes to be powered by solar electricity, with undulating landscape gardens covering mixed use commercial and community facilities including a covered farmers market. A biomass combined heat and power plant fuelled by rice husks will be installed as the number of completed homes provides sufficient critical mass. Specially modified wind driven ventilation cowls integrated into the balcony structures encourage cross ventilation without using electricity, with passive heat recovery and super-insulation based on the BedZED model used to achieve a step change reduction in demand for both summer cooling and winter heating. The residential density will be between 120 and 150 large two and three bed homes per hectare, with considerable commercial space and lively shop lined streets. All parking is below the residential blocks, with only zero emissions pool cars above ground for convenience. A mountain bike training track climbs over the roof gardens, showing how high densities good amenity and opportunities to take exercise can be achieved around public transport nodes, minimizing the need for private car use. It is hoped that this type of alternative relatively low rise urban model will replace the energy intensive tower blocks prevalent in many Chinese cities.