Heritage Buildings Popularised by Foshan Lingnan Tiandi

8/17/2015

new interventions complement the spirit of the heritage architecture Photo: BWPI

integrated planting and community spaces are liberally spread throughout the development. Photo: BWPI

traditional architectural features predominate. Photo: BWPI

'Wok shaped'roof gables - an indicator of occupation by the family of government officials. Photo: BWPI

solar panels sensitively integrated and visually unobtrusive. Photo: BWPI

As a meeting point and leisure destination for local users, Foshan Lingnan Tiandi appears to have ticked all the boxes. It also appears to have appealed to the LEED accreditors, with a scorecard earning a GOLD award in 2011. Barry Wilson and the Students of Penn State and Hong Kong Universities paid a brief visit to review the PV system which was the first project in China that brought solar energy to ancient buildings. However the project is important in many ways and needed a longer appraisal than time permitted. A return in the future is essential. 

Located in the city center of Foshan, it is a mixed-use urban redevelopment with a planned site area of 650,000 sq.m. and gross floor area of 1.50 million sq.m.. Clearly inspired by other successful redevelopment projects, such as Shanghai Taipingqiao, the project not only preserves the historical and cultural heritage of the area, promoting the city’s unique identity, but also ushers in a modern lifestyle and facilities to the community. Foshan Lingnan Tiandi is designed to be a low-carbon development, minimizing environmental impacts and creating a world-class sustainable community and it certainly felt that way when we visited.

Seeking to revitalize a downtown that had become industrialized, the developer chose a location in the heart of traditional Foshan City, incorporating a mixture of buildings with historical significance, traditional residences, and commercial and institutional buildings. An emphasis has been placed on creating a strong and dynamic community that encourages walking, requiring a minimum of 50% of dwelling units to be within 800m walking distance of at least 10 of different use types.

Re-invigorating the traditional culture, art and architecture of the Foshan and Lingnan region, the project reuses a minimum of 20% of the existing historic building stock and by preserving the web of alleyways, arcades, and open spaces characteristic of the area, the design encourages outdoor activity.

A committment has clearly been made to incorporating green technologies through the development. The rooftop mounted solar panels discretely provide heating for the hot water system at the on-site hotel as well as electricity for the street and landscape lighting throughout. Central AC units for small-scale buildings in the historical district were chosen instead of the traditional split-unit in order to reduce energy consumption.

The rainwater system is designed to recycle collected rainwater for irrigation and road cleaning, and local plants were selected to reduce the consumption of potable water. At least 50% green roof coverage is undertaken for new build on the project, as well as a number of vertical gardens.

Developer - Shui On Land.

Community Masterplanning - Skidmore, Owings and Merrill.

Design Architect  - Benjamin Wood.

Executive Architect - P&T.


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