UNHABITAT - Wuhan Urban Design Competition

JUNCTURE

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JUNCTION + FUTURE It’s different everyday. Time and time again, Wuhan finds itself at a critical point in time; a junction of ideas, a future full of directions. The drops never flow by twice.

Each carry memories of the past; a reflection of how things were, flowing to how things might be.

Where the two rivers intertwine, the drops meet, partaking in the exchange of memories and ideas as one consumes the other.

As people continue to pour towards the steadfast waters, ever present reminders of the past manifest as relics of progression. This is a city with strong currents of creation, endowed with dynamic biodiversity and an insatiable thirst for industry and innovation. With our design honing in on the physical watersmeet of the Han and Yangtze, juxtapositions in Wuhan’s geographical and historical context perpetuate a recurring juncture.

PEOPLE / WATER INDUSTRY / BIODIVERSITY TRADITION / INNOVATION

000008/2-3 PEOPLE / WATER 17. Future:The Pier Drawing people to the unique watersmeet of The Han and The Yangtze, to witness where next the joined waters will flow.

INDUSTRY / BIODIVERSITY 7. Horticultural Housing Bringing back Wuhan’s first industry to the habitat. Co-operative horticulture management excites lives and liviehoods alike.

TRADITION / INNOVATION

JUNCTION

4. Innovation Station Monorail

11. Junction: Transport Hub

Inviting people to witness Wuhan’s revolutionary advances of yesterday, today and tomorrow as the first of the monorail stations.

The heart of Gushan fosters the transitions and intersections that power the city. High density housing, public space and community areas also enable that the heart is lively itself.

SECTION: Junction: Transport Hub

Master Layout Plan: JUNCTURE

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TRANSPORT

Optimising opportunities for engagement at a human scale to promote activity.

Connections to reticulated and proposed transport further enhance this.

Providing connections between existing and proposed transport infrastructure.

This is established by the linear monorail system with stops providing 300m maximum walking zones; funicular access to Guishan tower; the road network; and Junction which promotes optimal transitions.

HERITAGE Ensuring respectful preservation of significant sites and transformation of opportunity heritage sites.

COMMUNITY BUILDINGS Providing community facilities, such as libraries, indoor plazas, community farms and permanent installations for the enjoyment of residents and guests.

WATER MANAGEMENT Carefully assisting in the absorption, flowing and treatment of river and on-site water.

Using an appropriate combination of hard and soft landscaping at key topographies, this strategy is made to divert and absorb water in times of flood and ensure optimal water health in all times of the year.

DENSITY + BUILDING TYPES Appropriately planning for residential, commercial and mixed use types with density and building heights that respect vistas, horticultural production and site experience.

Figure Ground Map: JUNCTURE

ABSTRACT : JUNCTURE Juncture provides a concept for the revitalisation and development of a historical area in the northern region of Guishan. The design plan is formulated by preliminary research attempting to understand the historical and existing points of convergence in Wuhan, China. We approached this study by identifying the key contrasting but complementary elements: people and water; industry and biodiversity; and, tradition and innovation.

Given its strategic location along the meeting of the Han and Yangtze Rivers, Juncture is a watersensitive plan for a mixed-use site. Embedded within and around places of residence are urban farms, community gardens, places of work, commercial facilities, and community spaces. In planning for a growing demographic of rural-urban migration, creative professionals, and tertiary students, a mixed density of housing and amenities is incorporated to encourage vitality and diversity among the residents and activities in this area.

Mixed housing types are placed on this area, with priority given to attractive designs for social and affordable housing, on top of a middle housing stock, and luxury housing. Central to the concept of social housing is to sustain the maintenance and lifestyle of its residents. Urban farms, both on the ground level and as the canopy and facade of the high density social housing, characterise this building type. Both groundwater and stormwater are to be collected to irrigate the autonomous farms that will allow residents to choose to profit and/or feed themselves from. This system will forge a new kind of maker culture among residents, and to allow them a greater sense of ownership and empowerment, over their place of residence (and possibly work).

Significant industrial heritage facilities serve as the cultural anchors of the site. This includes the Yingwu Tape Plant, Special Automobile Manufacturing Plant, and the No.1 National Cotton Plant. To extend this history of industrial clout into the future, the plan situates an industry cluster of fabrication laboratories next to the existing manufacturing plant to support and encourage the development of creative and new manufacturing start-ups. Together, the cultural and creative value of the the site’s industrial designs make a case for its character, both for local residents and for tourism.

Yet, the heart of Juncture lies in Junction; a mixed commercial and community hub that incorporates all the significant convergences of the site. Conceived as the main station of the new monorail line, Junction is a transit hub for locals and tourists, consisting of popular shops, cafes, restaurants, and bars; and also an array of community spaces like council offices, social services, indoor sports courts, outdoor sports fields, a cinema, and more. All of these make Junction the most significant point of activities in the area.

Symbolising the aspirations of Juncture is Future, a circular pier beyond West Point Park, where residents and visitors of Wuhan are drawn to the watersmeet of The Han and Yangtze Rivers. This elevated and circular pier brings people to witness where the waters flow from, meet and flow onward to, inspiring reflections of Wuhan’s dynamic past, present and future.