Phu My port-city masterplan
Phu My (Vietnam)
In 2021 Arep Vietnam won the public bid launched by Phu My City People’s Committee for the new masterplan of the city (330 km2), the future biggest port of Vietnam. The main challenge of the project was to find a balance between the fast-paced, thus mono-functional, economic development based on heavy industry and container port; the urban attractiveness of the city, currently growing as a “servant space” for the industrial-port area, and completely disconnected from the waterfront; and the environmental sustainability in one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change effects.
The masterplan proposes to foster the port-city identity of Phu My by:
- turning the city towards the river and the sea, introducing mixed-use functions and public spaces in the existing port-industrial area and developing a new iconic urban centre along the waterfront; - diversifying the economic activity expanding the services sector linked to the port (cruise terminal and free-trade zone, smart research hub, leisure…); - protecting and enhancing the exceptional natural features of the mangrove forest and the riverscape, creating a mangrove reserve park, preserving ecological continuities, implementing highstandard environmental policies to limit pollution.
The blue and green network strategy is a pillar of the project and proposes tools for the municipality to mitigate urban flood and coastal risks:
-Systematically integrating and maintaining open surface water systems in the urban development to increase water retention level and manage storm water runoff;
-Protecting the quality of the watershed with non constructible buffers along the water bodies, especially the streams flowing into the mangrove;
-Enhancing soil permeability and tree cover against floods and urban heat island effect and incorporate Sustainable Urban Drainage systems (SUDs) in the design of public spaces (urban parks, streets, squares...);
-Promoting water purification, storage and reuse against flood and drought;
-Preserving some mangrove areas to maintain ecological corridors with Can Gio mangrove UNESCO biosphere and to mitigate coastal risks;
-Planning strategic major public facilities in low flood risk areas;
-Exploring innovative form of urbanization (floating, amphibious houses) for coastal development in the new southern mangrove urban area.
BLUE AND GREEN NETWORK STRATEGY
PUBLIC SQUARE LINKED TO A PUBLIC FACILITY Permeable pavers and bioretention planters to increase water infiltration and provide climatic confort against the urban heat island effect
track and median bioswale to capture, treat and manage stormwater runoff from the street
LINEAR PARK ALONG MAIN N-S BOULEVARD
A rain garden will intercept, retain and purify water naturally flowing from the hills to the coast, and will become a major leisure space for the community
LIVING
THE SITE TODAY: LANDSCAPE OF CONTRASTS
Red River
Project data
Transport and public space de-
sign project at AREP Vietnam
Project site
Hanoi (Vietnam)
Year 2022-23
Client Espelia - AFD
Hanoi People’s Committee
Design team
AREP Vietnam
Mediterraneo ovunque”
Palermo (Italy)_first-prize winner project
The Call for Ideas for the extension of the botanical garden of Palermo aimed to celebrate the biodiversity of the five Mediterranean climate zones in the world: the Mediterranean maquis, the South African Fynbos, the Australian Mallee, the Californian Chaparral, and the Chilean Matorral.
With our first-prize winner project we proposed a Mediterranean garden as the representation of the encounter, the movement, the migration, the variety and adaptation of plant species.
The design questions the traditional idea of limits and fences, and proposes instead an immersive and multisensory experience of the contemporary botanical garden. Conventional alignments of plants and sharp perimeters fade away, and a continuous sequence of habitats transports the visitor to distant landscapes.
Mallee, Australia
“monument” species : Nuytsia floribunda
Fynbos, South Africa
“monument” species : Protea
Mediterranean maquis
“monument” species : Olea europaea
Chaparral, California
“monument” species : Quercus chrysolepis
Matorral, Chile
“monument” species : Prosopis chilensis
Riparian woodland
“monument” species : Salix alba
Endemic/rare species conservation area and nursery
Pedestrian bridge and “belvedere”
The glade - agorà for cultural meetings and underground rainwater tank
“monument” species : endemic trees from Madonie area (in memory of Rosanna Pirajno, to whom the project is dedicated)
fiumeOreto
Orto Botanico di Palermo
The central “glade” contributes to the sustainable management of water runoff: it is designed as a floodable green infrastructure, retaining, infiltrating and purifying the water, which is then stored in an underground reservoir, and reused for irrigation and leisure.
MODULAR BENCHES
SECTION AND DETAIL OF THE CENTRAL GLADE
Project data
Urban project at Green & Partners Architects
Project site Mandalay (Myanmar)
Year
2018 - 2020
Client
ADB (Asian Development Bank)
MCDC (Mandalay City Development Committee)
Design team
Green & Partners Architects, SUEZ engineering
Building Urban Resilience (MBUR)
Mandalay (Myanmar)_ADB grant
The MBUR (Mandalay Building Urban Resilience) project, supported by the ADB through its urban resilience and climate change fund (ADB Grant-0455 MYA), aims to develop the capacity of the Mandalay City Development Committee in climate change resilient urban planning and management, and in heritage-led regeneration. The project provided a series of on-the-job trainings in master planning to MCDC staff and Mandalay Technical University students on the following topics : creation of a GIS database; local plans, land use and zoning regulations; standards and guidelines to develop and maintain urban infrastructures; creation of touristic heritage paths.
One of the main achievements of the workshops was the design for the improvement of the public realm and embankments of the Thingaza creek, an area with a vibrant and rich history in western Mandalay. A linear park was designed, with hard and soft banks, integrating the various existing activities along the creek (street stalls, small artisanal workshops...), soft mobilities, solid waste recycling areas and incorporating sustainable urban drainages infrastructures for climate change resilience.
Typical design for hard banks Typical design for soft banks
The “head” of Thingaza creek on 22nd street has a strong landscape potential, although today the site is used as an illegal solid waste discharge.
We propose to create a water park enlarging the bed of the creek and reconnecting it to the Irrawaddy river through the vacant land to the north. Directly linked to the moat in the centre of Mandalay and its green pedestrian “boulevard”, the 22nd street
water park would represent the first signal of the transformation of the creek’s banks into a linear park.
The park can be part of a pedagogical program to build a collective civic sensitivity to environmental issues, in particular solid waste management. The football field on the east will contribute to water management, stocking rain water in an underground reservoir.
Scenario for the ecological and urban regeneration of Thingaza creek
Thingaza creek today
Project data
Public space design project at Green & Partners Architects
Project sites
Yangon (Myanmar)
Year 2020 - 2021
Client FCDO (Foreign Commonwealth Development Office), YCDC (Yangon City Development Committee)
Design team
Green & Partners Architects, Surbana Jurong
Revitalizing Yangon’s streets
Yangon (Myanmar)_Global Future Cities
Revitalizing Yangon’s streets is one of the projects carried out in the framework of UK’s Global Future Cities Programme, which provides technical assistance to encourage sustainable urban development and promote growth and prosperity.
The project consisted in the participatory design of two roads in Yangon, Kyun Taw and Pansodan. The designs have been developed by a multidisciplinary team together with the local community of each street, including residents, local businesses and street users, and the government stakeholders. Themed workshops were carried out weekly by the community engagement team and design team.
The pilot projects aimed to improve accessibility and safety within Yangon, while focusing on inclusively designed solutions and on the improvement of the liveability and sustainability of the neighbourhoods. Universal design principles, active transportation, the incorporation of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems together with the conservation of the local character and heritage were some of the core principles which guided the design.
Kyun Taw road today
Kyun Taw road tomorrow: shared street area
Project data
Architecture/ civil works project
at Green & Partners Architects
Project site
Bago region (Myanmar)
Year 2019 - on going
Client
Four Paws International
Design team
Green & Partners Architects
Elephants Lake Sanctuary
Bago region (Myanmar)_Four Paws NGO
The Elephants Lake project, developed by the NGO Four Paws International Myanmar in partnership with Myanmar Timber Enterprise (MTE), will be a sanctuary for Myanmar’s elephants, providing a safe haven for these endangered animals in the Bago region.
Encompassing approximately 55 hectares of hilly jungle, the sanctuary will function as a rehabilitation centre, an orphanage and a hospital. The entrance area will be accessible to visitors: two undulated thatch roofs supported by tree-like bamboo columns, hosting the visitors’ centre and the director’s office, will overhang the valley. Their vast terraces will offer a privileged view over the lush vegetation, the elephants’ enclosures, the lakes for harvesting rainwater, and the suspended bamboo bridge. The architecture of the pavilions responds to bioclimatic principles and is adapted to the local climate conditions: the large roofs will provide protection from the intense sun and monsoon rains and their generous height will allow natural ventilation.
Walls
Brickwork 215 mm
Internal and external faces plastered with selfcolored hydraulic lime
Roofing
Rafters 80 mm diameter
Bamboo purlins 100-120 mm diameter
Covering in bamboo thatch
Bamboo structure
Reinforced concrete pedestal 200 mm fixed to a metal base plate bolted down to the floor slab
Branched bamboo column (treated Dendrocalumus gigantus culms 120-150 diameter up to 10 m in length)
Binding at regular intervals with treated coconut rope
Floor
Reinforced concrete slab 150 mm
Curved steel C section for the edge
50 x 50 mm Pyinkado battens
Teak planks 25 x 150 x 2000 mm tongue and grooved
Foundations
Reinforced concrete pile 450 mm diameter
Project data
Personal competition
Competition
Re-design of Piazza Marconi in Valdobbiadene
Project site
Valdobbiadene (IT)
Year 2019
Client
Municipality of Valdobbiadene
Re-thinking Piazza Marconi
Valdobbiadene (Italy)_public consultation
The public consultation launched by the Municipality of Valdobbiadene (Italy) in 2019 requested to redesign the main square of the town, today dominated by vehicular traffic, and the surrounding access roads.
Our proposal is founded on the characteristic landscape of terraced hills of Prosecco vineyards that enclose the town, recently inscribed on the Unesco Wold Heritage List.
The project creates a continuous pedestrian surface, limiting the vehicular circulation only to the edges of the square. The topography of the site is highlighted by the drawing of the contours, reminding of the rows of vines. To the west, a dense alignment of Tilia cordata Mill. is planted in parallel to the existing one, recalling the tree-lined boulevards converging into the square.
The existing central fountain is reinterpreted as a vast circular kaleidoscopic eye of shallow water, reflecting the elegant buildings surrounding the square and the majestic hills. Following the gentle slope of the ground, the mirror of water becomes a bench for admiring the historical architecture of the church and the town hall.
We propose a uniform paving with a local venetian stone, Lessinia, white and bright, providing a cooling effect against the hot Mediterranean summers. The different contours will be marked by another traditional material, trachyte : its warm yellow colour matches with the surrounding facades creating a homogeneous ensemble.
1 Plan of redesigned Piazza Marconi and access roads 2 View of the square from the existing monumental Endimione fountain to the south
The kaleidoscope mirror of water
Project data
Urban project at MDA
Project site
Reims (FR)
Year
2015 - on going
Client
Grand Reims
Design team
Martin Duplantier Architectes, Anouk Debarre Landscape Architect, Artelia Ville et Transport, Franck Boutté Consultants, Tractebel, Idea Consult, Gingko Avocats
Post-industrial city
Port Colbert_Grand Reims
In 2015 MDA won a public call for bids launched by Reims Metropolis for a vast urban project in Port Colbert, a former industrial site of about 200 hectares.
The project deals with some of the main issues and challenges of the 21st century city : de-industralization, ecological restoration and urban regeneration.
How to activate this abandoned site absent from the mind map of Reims citizens ?
One main proposal structures our project : the reappropriation of the four km long banks of the canal that crosses the site, which currently is a congested road. This main linear public space will be the “spine” for both ecological corridors, active mobility and leisure activities and will be the heart of the future neighbourhood.
The masterplan is based on three key points :
Ruptures and continuities: towards a new urbanity
Crossing the main infrastructure axes to reconnect the site and developing a new road network based on the industrial system’s heritage. Active mobility and multimodal hubs will be the challenge for sustainable transports.
Memory and regeneration : towards synergetic programs
New programs and activities highlighting the industrial heritage both in its function and architectural expression. New main public spaces are created in front of the reused industrial buildings -“the contemporary cathedrals”- while the existing activities are maintained and cohabit with new housings and urban facilities.
Territorial landscape : blue and green network
Port Colbert is located at the confluence between Reims historical city centre and a system of territorial parks. The landscape project will reveal this strategic position at different scales. The canal will be the vertebral column of the improved green and blue network.
Project data
Urban project at MDA
Project site
Mérignac, Bordeaux (FR)
Year 2015 - on going
Client La FAB (Bordeaux Métropole)
Design team
Martin Duplantier Architectes, Anouk Debarre Landscape Architect, Franck Boutté Consultants
Nature city Mérignac Marne_Bordeaux Métropole
MDA is working since 2015 on the masterplan for Mérignac-Marne, a popular retail park in the suburbs of Bordeaux. This 30 hectares site has a strategic position in Bordeaux metropolitan region, both in the urban and ecological ecosystems : it is located between the city centre of Bordeaux (Unesco World Heritage Site) and the airport, and it is surrounded by a necklace of parks in close proximity to the Landes de Gascogne Regional Natural Park, a protected area of pine forest, wetland and oceanic coastline. Despite this key location, the actual “landscape” of Merignac Marne is made of large retail stores and their parking areas, enveloped in a pavilion residential neighbourhood.
The urban project has two main purposes : to create a new urbanity, generating positive synergies between housing and commercial mix-used programs and to re-nature this nowadays artificial site. In order to achieve this, the Biotope Area Factor (BAF) acts as an important mechanism to reduce local vulnerability to climate change effects, as its measures help lower the temperatures and improve the runoff management.
Biotope Area Factor (BAF)
In several European cities, (Berlin, Paris, Nantes...) new buildings’ regulation includes the Biotope Area Factor (BAF). All potential green areas, such as courtyards, roofs and walls are counted in the BAF. The regulation responds to the need to encourage more green space in densely builtup urban areas. Climate change is expected to increase and intensify heat waves and urban floods that are of particular relevance for cities. Thus, the BAF is an important mechanism helping to lower the temperatures and improve the runoff management.
Project data
Personal competition
Competition
Europan 14_productive cities
Project site
Amiens (FR)
Year 2017
Montières : over time fabric
Europan 14_productive cities
Montières (Amiens suburbs) is a scarred territory, harmed over years by the single nature of the industrial activity. However, it is also a place with a strong potential for change: in a context of de-industrialisation, resource scarcity and environmental crisis, Montières has the opportunity to create a spark for an exemplary transformation.
This potential echoes the site’s strategic location - a future link between the city centre and the suburbs - its significant scenic qualities structured around the river, as well as the dynamism of the various actors on site and among Amiens urban area. Building on those genuine qualities, we developed our project around a key challenge: to reactivate Montières’ productive nature by widening the range of possible sustainable productions (urban agriculture, creative industry...), to turn this place in a vibrant and mixed-use territory, open to all. The time dimension is serving the construction of this project-process, gradually activated around catalysts sites, fostering emulation and usage habits. This activation strategy supports a steady unveil of place by creating the conditions of a flexible territorial organisation that integrates Montières to its surrounding. The various project’s components emerge gradually getting all the parts to intertwine, fostering a deep mutation of Montières while perpetuating its productive nature.
1 Production cycle_phytoremediation and agro-park
We took a chance on triggering a new sustainable production cycle in Montières, leaning on Amiens’ traditional floating gardens (Hortillonnages). This cycle relies on a double pytoremediation process (from both polluted soils and water) and also on the gradual activation of an agropark.
2 New urban centrality : “Rives Habitées” The Step and Orion brownfields, as Montières gateways, will become a new urban centrality facing the river, including a housing operation, public and leisure spaces. The establishment of a mobility centre (evolutive silo parking, car-sharing space, electric charging stations and bike parking spaces) fosters new transportation forms.
3 Volumes : experimental productive housing Volume is an exemplary productive housing operation. The building is a vertical mixed-use prototype inspired by the Small office Home office model. The activities in the existing base such as the educational microbrewery, the indoor market or the sewing studios, are an echo to the agro-park and the future food cluster.
4 Cosserat, former textile factory : a catalyst site and a symbolic memento Heart of the cultural and social program, new metropolitan spot
5 “Rives Habitées”, a new urban centrality Re-opening the site towards the river
