Construction of the 680-hectare innovation and education district in Chongqing continues at pace
Chapman Taylor won a major international competition to masterplan Liangjiang Innovation Zone; a new district for the city of Chongqing that will complete construction in 2025. Liangjiang has been chosen by the Chinese government as a developmental ‘new area’ for Chongqing, which has a population of over 30 million people and is one of China’s four centrally governed municipalities.
700,000 sqm of land has been fully developed, with its first buildings occupied. Mingyue Lake hotel and Mingyue Square are now open to the public. 50 research and development institutions and 214 enterprises are now housed within the Innovation Zone. A 200-hectare area of Mingque Lake Park has been built.
An additional 550,000 sqm is under construction, including the Innovation Centre (290,000 sqm).
Chapman Taylor's designs are based on the careful integration of the existing ecology with a connected series of five university campuses surrounded by R&D clusters and related facilities and services. Liangjiang Innovation Zone will play a key role alongside other new districts in developing and implementing Chongqing’s smart city strategy. The fully transit-orientated development provides railway, metro, BRT, electric bus and water taxi connections throughout the site. Sustainability is embedded in the project, which will be self-sufficient in energy needs – using solar, biomass and hydroelectric power sources, resulting in a saving of over 450,000 tons of CO² per annum.
The valley formed by the hills to the east and west perimeter of the site has become a Mingyue lake. The south of the lake is surrounded by beautiful landscapes interspersed with social, sports and cultural villages, which are a contemporary interpretation of the traditional villages of the region.
