Jerman Cheung
East Asia Press Office,Hong Kong
In collaboration with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM), Tom Leader Studio (TLS), local and international design institutes and planning experts, Arup has been appointed to provide infrastructure support for the boot area of Xiong’an in Hebei province, northern China.
In 2017, China President Xi Jinping established the Xiong’an New Area, located approximately 130km southwest of Beijing, as a major new economic zone, to facilitate the integration of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei. The boot area is the first phase of the Xiong’an New Area development. It comprises 38km², of which 26 km² are designated for urban development, to accommodate Beijing’s non-capital functions and transform into a hub for cutting-edge industries.
In a series of international workshops organized by the Xiong’an New Area administrative committee between March and May, Arup has been working with SOM, TLS, Nikken Sekkei and 15 local design institutes and planning firms to support infrastructure planning including transport, site development, water system, energy and waste, project implementation, sustainability and resilience development, and smart city development.
The urban design scheme for the boot area has been nearly completed while the implementation plans and urban design guidelines are in progress.
