• Integrated masterplan
  • Hefei / Anhui, China
  • City of Hefei
  • 420 ha, 150.000 inhabitants
  • in progress
  • 1908-HFC
  • Tim Kohne, Kelai Yu, Jesse Dobbelsteen
  • Wasser Hannover GmbH

Sponge City Hefei

What does sustainable urban development with a special focus on the sponge city principle in China look like?

The flagship project Sponge City Hefei relies entirely on decentralized drainage, which should lead to an answer to the flood problem and the extreme weather events that will become increasingly stronger in the future. Our focus was on the planned parks as central and profiling elements of the city, which will become the "green living room" of future residents.

With low-threshold and barrier-free access, the offers of the residential neighbourhoods are supplemented here and the informal meeting, which is so far untypical for China, is promoted. This is achieved through the targeted use of, for example, generous seat edges, freely movable furniture, and picnic areas.

With the aim of creating a metropolis with a low climatic footprint and a small impact on local ecosystems, four large parks with large unsealed areas are being created. The special sponge city principle provides for working with instead of against the water and implementing it as a characteristic element of Hefei. This helps the green-blue city to regulate the climate - especially in the very hot summer months. In addition to the climatic advantages mentioned, our argumentation of integrating the local river, which was originally supposed to be led around the city, creates a number of added values ​​for Hefei.

The four emerging parks will each have their own characteristics, depending on the respective demarcation area. For example, the ground in the west with many adjoining office buildings serves primarily as a place to relax during work breaks on the one hand and as an extended conference room with options for flexible work on the other.

The project, besides providing spatial qualities and creating urban spaces that promote
social interaction in cultural life aims to serve as an innovative hydrological system to protect the city in the event of more extreme weather occurrences and to ensure sustainable urban development.

As a result of all the interlocking concepts, Hefei forms a richly linked city with different biotopes and parks that work together with the social infrastructure and create a high-quality living space for the new China.

Take a look at how we continued by planning the first park here.

  • Integrated masterplan
  • Hefei / Anhui, China
  • City of Hefei
  • 420 ha, 150.000 inhabitants
  • in progress
  • 1908-HFC
  • Tim Kohne, Kelai Yu, Jesse Dobbelsteen
  • Wasser Hannover GmbH

Zoom in on Masterplan of Airport City Hefei