Taihu Lake's Lougang City CBD: A Vision of Ecological Urbanism

gad's Innovative Design Merges High-Density Urban Development with Ecological Culture

The project, located on the southern bank of Taihu Lake, is designed to harmonize with the Lougang landscape. The city's new headquarters are situated on the northern side, with a skyscraper complex by the lakeside. The design aims to promote integration by shifting the original lakeside avenue towards the south, allowing an internal lake to be channeled from Taihu Lake. This creates a series of quality waterfront public realms while enhancing the sense of natural landscape.

gad's design stands out for its innovative approach to urbanization. The project adopts Low Impact Development (LID), multi-layer transportation, and low-carbon technology. LID is realized by the ecological pattern inherited from the Lougang irrigation system. The multi-layer transportation includes pedestrian skywalks and above and below ground traffic systems, aiming to create a highly efficient transportation system.

The project covers a research area of about 305 hectares with a core area of about 118 hectares. The total construction floor area is 3,050,000 square meters, with the core area covering 2,000,000 square meters. The design team, led by Wei Zhang and Xuan Wu, aimed to create a sustainable and smart city with 132 hectares of ecology area, including a bay, canal, and green belt.

The Lougang City CBD is not just a place to live and work, but also a hub of activity for residents. The wide diversity of business activities and comprehensive functionalities will elevate the living quality and land value. The new site is expected to attract innovative financial businesses, bringing more diversity and vitality to the city.

The project, which started in June 2019, is located in Huzhou, Zhejiang Province, China. The design process faced the challenge of creating a unique world-class urban downtown paradise. The key to the success of this project was the collaboration between the urban design team and the architecture team, ensuring the design concept - the city of vitality, was fully complemented throughout the process.

The Lougang City CBD of Taihu Lake was awarded the Platinum A' City Planning and Urban Design Award in 2020. This prestigious award recognizes world-class, exceptional, and highly innovative designs that showcase unmatched professionalism, contribute to societal wellbeing, and make the world a better place.