Designing a Cultural Center for 21st-century Eco-cities

Richard Register first coined the term ‘Eco-city’ in 1987 as "a human settlement modeled on the self-sustaining resilient structure and function of natural ecosystems".

Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city is considered to be the first citywide testing ground for environmental standards relating to air quality and carbon emissions. The scheme began in 2007 and is a collaboration between the government of China and Singapore.

The city is envisioned to be a place that is socially harmonious, environmentally friendly, and resource-efficient – a model for sustainable development. In order to achieve this, the entire planning and development of the city are guided by a comprehensive set of 22 quantitative and 4 qualitative Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Through this project, they intend to create a model for an eco-city that is practical, replicable, and scalable.

Eco-cities aim for creating an eco-friendly place for the citizens just like the Sino Singapore Tianjin Eco-city. However, the Key Indicators that drive these cities often lack the larger idea of it belonging to a particular location and its inhabitants, in this case- China. 

But it is also important to inculcate practicing sustainable living at a grassroots level. Eco-cities run towards a utopian goal of sustainability. But the speed of growth can be a very huge factor that can overrun thin strings that tie culture and society together. While growth can’t be stopped, places to sustain culture should be always placed while cities grow by leaps and bounds.

How can architecture be used as an important tool to imbibe the ancient culture of China in the 21st-century eco-city?

Design Challenge - Propose a Cultural Center for Sino Singapore Tianjin Eco-City that aims to encourage citizens to keep the culture of the community alive within this new kind of living in fast-growing megacities.

The jury for the competition consisted of esteemed designers, professionals, and academicians from around the world. The Lead Jurors for the competitions were as follows: 

Song Zhaoqing, Chief Architect, Lacime Architects, China

Larry Wen, Founder, aoe, China

Wang Shuo, Principle, META-Project, China

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Some of the Best of competition projects are:

 

Winning Project: Ecos Cultural Center

By: Mohamed Abdellatif, Kübra Dilikara, Ibrahim Altunbas & Nida Çoşkun

^{Fig: 1 Floor Plan, Section and Site View}

Description: Ecos Cultural Center

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People’s Choice: CHINESE CULTURAL CENTER

By: Rati Choudhari

^{Fig: 2 Floor Plan and Interior View}

Description: Sustainable Solution to empower Chinese Culture

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Editor’s Choice: 21st Century Cultural Centre

By: Florian Mouafo Zambou

^{Fig: 3 Cover image}

Description: The proposal for a 21st Century Forum comprises the following: 1- Network of Bridges Connecting major historical Landmarks and tourist attractions. 2- An Opera house. 3- A Media-Tech. 4- Open-air Markets 5- Shopping Centre.

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Editor’s Choice: Unfuse Sync

By: Leonid Emdin

^{Fig: 4 Site view}

Description: The building is a strip of earth that is, as it were, carved out of it. This strip rises above the ground and, twisting like a loach plant around the staircase-elevator node, again goes into the ground.

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Editor’s Choice: Way of Waters - Tianjin Cultural Center

By: Alya Farah T, A Faricha Almadina & Fatia Izza

^{Fig: 5 Site Plan}

Description: The "floating" Cultural Center of Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City, fuses Eco-city's sustainable way of living and Tianjin's precious maritime culture and history in its design. It functions as both a token of remembrance of China's culture and also an exciting destination for tourists and locals.

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