Guallart Architects, an architectural firm headed by former Barcelona Chief Architect Vicente Guallart, has created a "self-sufficient city" project for Xiong'an, China. This is the new area of the country: the territory receives special support from the government. It is located about 130 km south-west of Beijing. In 2017, Chinese President XI Jinping himself announced a plan to create an innovation zone in Xiong'an. It is assumed that part of the administrative functions will be transferred to the new district from the capital. This year, an international competition was announced for the development project. It was held during the harshest weeks of quarantine in Europe, which determined the result.
The Office Director Honorata Grzesikowska says: "We developed this project during isolation, when the entire team was working from home, and decided to include all those aspects that could make our lives better, so that a new standard could be defined."
The project is based on an urban model that combines traditional European city blocks, modern Chinese towers and a landscape designed for food production. This is a brand new urban environment where people can live, work and relax. It will allow you to produce the necessary resources on the spot, and not depend on external supplies, ensuring a full life even in moments of isolation.
“We cannot continue to design cities and buildings as if nothing has happened,” says Vicente Guallart, - “Our plan stems from the need to find solutions to the various crises that have simultaneously appeared on our planet. We want to create a new urban life that is based on a closed-loop economy that will empower cities and communities."
The residential area will consist of four blocks. The buildings will be built of wood with maximum usage of natural light. This must minimize power consumption. There will be several types of housing: for large families and for childless couples, for the elderly and for the young, as well as offices, swimming pools, shops. In addition, there will be a grocery market, a kindergarten, an administrative center, a fire station and other facilities in the blocks.
Greenhouses will be set up on the roofs of buildings to grow food for residents. Sloping roofs will be covered with solar panels. 3D printers and rapid prototyping machines will be installed on the ground floor to print everyday items. With this equipment, you can get the necessary items if the supply chain is disrupted.
One of the principles of the city's functioning is relying on renewable energy sources, as well as the resource recovery and the maximum reduction of waste. This justifies the choice of wood as a renewable material.
All apartments will have large South-facing terraces. In the normal course of events, it allows residents to enjoy the sun, but during potential periods of isolation, it will likely become the main space. In a terrace people can play, relax and work. In addition, the terrace is suitable for landing drones that deliver purchases.
Isolation is also possible at the home level: there will be shared spaces for remote work, so that people are not left alone.
The epidemics of the past years have also significantly changed the appearance of cities. From the development of Sewerage systems and public transport to the emergence of housing standards, according to an article on the World Economic Forum website.
Now, concerns about contamination may also create elite self-sufficient enclaves, as Tony Matthews says, the senior lecturer in urban and environmental planning at Griffith University in Australia.
He added, that people are ready to pay for self-isolation, if they can afford it, and cites closed settlements are a good example. Post-COVID enclaves with security services, private medical facilities, and food production may appear in the future.
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In June 2020, Knight Frank conducted a new survey among 700 of its clients from 44 countries. All of them planned to purchase real estate through the company. As it turned out, during the pandemic people changed their ideas about what a good home should be. The growth of those who want to buy a private house was as much as 45%! Now the most important factors are the presence of a garden or open space, as well as a separate office. After all, more than 60% of respondents planned to work remotely even after the restrictions were lifted. Therefore, projects such as Xiong'an are exactly in the spirit of the times.
We commend Guallart Architects for the provided materials.