PROJECTS
PROJECT AT A GLANCE Classification: Mixed Development Location: Hainan, China Approx. Project Cost: US$24 billion Approx. Commencement Date: 2012 Approx. Completion Date: 4Q 2020
Artist impression: Ocean Flower Island, built in Yangpu Bay, spans roughly 8 km2, putting it among the world’s largest artificial islands. (Source: l-a-v-a.net)
OCEAN FLOWER ISLAND
H
ainan, a tropical island off southern China, is often described as the nation’s answer to Hawaii. It attracts more than 60 millions domestic tourists each year, as holidaymakers would come to enjoy the province’s ancient towns, warm climate, clean air and lush forests. Off the coast of Hainan, a number of huge construction projects are underway to create artificial islands that support the province by adding to its tourism offer. Among these projects is the Ocean Flower Island, situated in the waters north of Hainan. Although the construction of the site had been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Ocean Flower Island opened on schedule in late 2020. It is expected to welcome 10 million visitors each year. DESIGN COMPOSITION Developed by Chinese real-estate investment group Evergrande, the Ocean Flower Island is named for the graphic design resembling three blossoming flowers in the sea. The artificial archipelago is made of three independent islets with a planned reclamation area about eight square kilometres, putting it among the world’s largest artificial islands, and has 40km of coastline. The Ocean Flower Island is home to nearly 60 hotels, as well as retail space, museums, an opera house, food streets with restaurants and the world’s biggest conference centre, in cascading building forms. The island is zoned by seasons: ‘winter
16 July-August 2021 | www.b-i.biz
CREDIT LIST DEVELOPER: Evergrande Real Estate Group
wonderland’, ‘amber autumn’, ‘spring field’. Notable developments at the Ocean Flower Island include a 7-star hotel designed by LAVA (Laboratory for Visionary Architecture), an international think tank set up in 2007 with a focus on research and design, with offices in Sydney, Stuttgart and Berlin. The Hainan Ocean Flower Resort is located within the man-made petal-shaped island, linked by a bridge to the island of Hainan. For the hotel, water (ripples, natural geometry of a
