Productive Waterfront Port City Design - rugao

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PROJECT AGENDA

This project deals with a harbour city and the potential of the port to generate new relevant spatial conditions in the urban landscape that can contribute to create a stronger local identity. Based on a careful study on the compatibility between the city and the different types of port activities, a new prototype of harbor is proposed. A series of spatial strategies, mostly related to the adjacency control, challenges the conventional port - city relationship.

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CONTENTS

[1] Context and Argument

_Regional Structure_Masterplan 2020_Disadvantages of Masterplan 2020_Argument: Port as opportunity for the city_Alternative Proposal

[2] Site Analysis and Restructure Strategy

_Preexisting Water Network_Existing Canals and Local Settements_Restructure Strategy_Canal Bifurcation Guidelines

[3] Prototype - New Port Hub Typology

_Multi-wharves Port Typology_Navigational Analysis_Cell Infrastructure Requirement

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_Three types of cells_Turning Basin Concept_Turning Basin Design and Variations

[4] Site Structure Formulation Process _Yangtze River Flow Analysis_Industry Layout_Hinterland Connectivity_Shoreline Occupation and Modification_Road Network_Green Corridors_Overall Masterplan

[5] City Development

_Density Distribution_Housing Typology_City Center Design

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Context and Argument / Site Analysis and Restructure Strategy / New Port Typology / Site Structure Fomulation Process / City Development

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100 million tons throughput / yrpopulation - 200,000

GOAL: “A Modern Port City”

Preindustrial Rural Areapopulation - 66,500

2020

NOW

THE BIRTH OF RUGAO PORT CITY

Rich resource of deep water shoreline, together with the adjacency to Yangtze River Estuary char-acterizes Rugao City with a desirable condition to become an important new born intermodal port in Shanghai Area. The recently rebuilt highway bridge which shortens the distance from Rugao to Shang-hai from 3hrs to 1.5hrs further provides a perfect opportunity for the emergence of Rugao Port City.

Thus, this completely preindustrial rural area of 70km2 land is going to be transformed to “A Mod-ern Port City” of 100 million tons annual throughput within 10 years time. The population is going to be 200,000, three times more than the current 66,500.

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Old TownCenter

Highw

ay connecting

the Port

The Highway linking the port and the city.

[Existing Proposal] MASTERPLAN 2020

ISOLATED PORT AREAThe 70% of the port is located to the farthest point of the city - on the island, far away from any other programs including related port industries, residential and commercial activities, working isolatedly with merely a highway linked with the city. All hinterland connec-tivity is dependent on the existence highway bridge.

HUGE MONO-FUNCTIONAL BLOCKS huge monofunctional blocks of industry, residense and commerce is proposed which is typical in the planning of Chinese emerging industrial cities.

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OCCUPATION OF ALL DEEPWATER SHORELINEAll deep water shoreline is occupied at once, even by shallow water port in-dustry, thoroughly leave the city with lack of further expansion backup port surface.

EXISTING CONDITION: Original Islands MASTERPLAN: Land Reclamation for Port Construction

LIMITED ACCESS TO THE RIVEROn the other hand, almost all available shoreline is occupied by industry or port land use, giving the city very limit opportunity to access the river.

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The birth and economic growth of the city is almost all relying on the emergence of Rugao Port, while in the masterplan, the construction of the port is not considered to be an opportunity for the city. It is actually expelled from the rest of the city. Thus, the port fails to establish either spatial or social in-teraction with the rest of the city. Its potential of generating spatial conditions as the identity for the city is also unnecessarily neglected by the masterplan.

Moreover, the island is recently recognized to be preserved area with high landscape value because of the high biodiversity, which also challenge the city to accomodate a larger proportion of the port within its main land area.

DISADVANTAGES OF RUGAO 2020 MASTERPLAN

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Productivity

Productivity LandscaPe12

The functional requirements of the port city would transform the urban landscape dramatically. This project is aiming at exploring certain urban form or pattern to better support port activities and meanwhile generates special spatial and social conditions to contribute to the new identity of the port city.

[argument] Port: an oPPortunity for the city

identity

The urbanism exploring the Productivity & Identity of Port City

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1 - Challenging the Conventional Port - City Relationship2 - Polycentric Port City Concept3 - Compatibility Control

ALTERNATIVE PROPOSAL

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Resi. Resi. Resi. Resi.

Resi. Industry Commerce Industry

Industry Industry Industry Industry

The River

Port APort APort A

CHALLENGING CONVENTIONAL PORT - CITY RELATIONSHIP

TYPE 1 - [Remote Port with Highway Linkage]Highly concentrated single infrastructure linkage / Released waterfront

TYPE 2 - [Waterfront Port]Weak hinterland connectivity / Blocked city - Water relationship

Resi. Resi. Resi. Resi.

Resi. Industry Commerce Industry

Industry Industry Industry Industry

The River

Port A

Highway Bridge

Island

PORTPORT

CITY

CITY

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POLYCENTRIC PORT CITY CONCEPTRETHINKING THE PORT - CITY RELATIONSHIP

[Case Study: Rotterdam city structure]

Port is introduced into the city and it performs as transportation hub dealing with transit between long term big scale cargo transportation and short term small scale good distribution.

Sailing Routes penetrating deeply inland enables the huge port to be frag-mented and thus be able to interact better with the the rest of the city both functionally and spatially. In this way, ports are able to be adjacent to port related activities, which improves the port hinterland connectivity, provides more shoreline and enhances the collaboration of the port and the city.

The port is thus deluted inland and thus release a significant proportion of the waterfront back to the city.

Resi. Industry

Resi. Industry IndustryResi.

Resi. Resi.

Resi.Industry Commerce Resi.

The River

Penetrate the port-city interface

Released Waterfront

Port B Port C

Port E Port D

Port A

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Incompatible Limited CompatibilityReason: Pollution / Danger / Huge Scale With buffer Area and Adjacency Control Port as strong element of public space and daily urban life

50000dwt Container Port

15M 12M 9M 6M 4M 3M 2M

25000dwt Oil Port 10000dwt Passenger Terminal 4000dwt General Cargo Port 1000dwt Industry Pier 150dwt Pleasure Pier 50dwt Fishing Pier

Port efficiency driven [carGo SHiP ScaLe] [HuMen ScaLe] SPatiaL QuaLity driven

Large Medium Small

COMPATIBILITY CONTROL

Polycentric port city doesn’t necessarily mean that the city is embracing the port in any conditions. It is true that some extreme cases of the port, because of huge scale, heavy pollution or specific requirement of circulation, such as oil port, should keep a certain distance from the main city area, while a lot of other port types can go well with the rest of the city. The Challenge of a polycentric port city is compatibility control, in other words, strict rules have to be applied to help decide which types of ports the city should have adjacency with and which types of ports should still keep a distance from the city. Adjacency control of different urban programs are crucial to deal with this gradient of compatibilities .

KEEP DISTANCE FROM THE CITY INVOLVED INTIMATELY BY THE CITY

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Compatible

Context and Argument / SITE ANALYSIS AND RESTRUCTURE STRATEGY / New Port Typology / Site Structure Fomulation Process / City Development

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The site is characterized by its rich and relatively evenly distribut-ed water network resources, which are mainly artificial canals for drainage and boat transportation purpose. Route A & B are both important channels which are around 100m wide all the way for goods to be transported to the Rugao City. Secondary canals are running on site in roughly a north-south fashion while the tertiary canals mainly go from east to west. Existing local industries are also located along larger canals.

TO RUGAOROUTE [A]

TO RUGAOROUTE [B]

S

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Bifurcation Distance Control Radius would apply from junctions of main road with secondary canals or main canals with secondary canals. The intersection between these control circles and secondary canals are the starting and ending points of canal birfurcation. Thus, this system can adjust itself to the existing geometry of the site structure, guaranteeing that minimized changes of existing canals are required and the bifurcation angle are within the range from 20 to 35 degree for the sake of smooth vessel sailing and water flow.

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From the previous step, all possible starting points and ending points of canal bifurcation are determined, establishing a new network of restructuring the site. The site is thus prepared with a logic of favourable parcelation for the new urban intervention as well as a respect of existing local fabric.

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Productivity: Functional Requirement of Port Related Activities

Context and Argument / Site Analysis and Restructure Strategy / NEW PORT TYPOLOGY / Site Structure Fomulation Process / City Development

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New Port Typology is proposed, which departures from optimizing the in-frastructure layout to support port functional requirements yet in the mean-while confronts the challenge of compatibility and scale transition through large range of variations. The potential of the port to transform urban land-scape and shape new identities is carefully explored.

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Compared to the proposed Linear Littoral Quayside in the Masterplan, the existing typology of Multiple Wharves Port have several advantages in terms of port operation efficiency: Greater Shoreline provision, seperate control of single functional pier, seperate circulation as well as higher flexibility for fur-ther transformation. Moreever, it is also more flexible to adapt to different scales. The concept of multiple wharves port gives significant inspirations for the new port topology design in this project.

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NAVIGATIONAL ANALYSIS Principle Dimensions of Vessels

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[Case Study: Rotterdam Port]

The apron area, configuration of the dregded basin and infrastructure layout is different according to the type of the port (industry type), which can be iden-tified as three types.

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Turning patterns of different sizes vessels are different which fur-ther determine the configuration of turning basins. Smaller ships turn over while travelling, thus requires a relatively bigger turnning circle comparing to the ship sizes; Medium size ships turn with the usage of anchor which helps reduce the turning circle, defined as pattern 2; the huge ships, in order not to have too huge turning ba-sins, will fully stop and turn with the assistance of thrusters, which reduces the turnning circle diameter to be roughly equal to there own length.

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Urban Landscape: Basin / Canal / Urban Green Corridors

Context and Argument / Site Analysis and Restructure Strategy / New Port Typology / SITE STRUCTURE FOMULATION PROCESS / City Development

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AREA OF INTERVENTION

SHORELINE CONDITIONS

Shoreline Conditions Including Water Depth, Flow Pressure and Seabed Slope are taken into consid-eration in the decision making process of shoreline occupasion as port surface.

Water Depth informs the layout of different port types according to vessel draft.

Flow Pressure is crucial because shoreline with sig-nificant high flow pressure is not appropriate for port construction. Moreover, flow pressure togeth-er with current direction informs the distortion of turning basin.

Seabed Slope collabrates with flow speed, de-termining the possibility of sedimentation - The shallower the slope is, the lower the speed is, the higher possibility of sedimentation, and thus low-erfeasibility of port location.

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INITIAL SITE STRUCTURE - DESIGN MESH [Canal Bifurcation Guideline]

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0 250 500 1000M [Compatibility Control] INDUSTRY LAYOUT

Proximity of industry to the city according to level of pollution

Industrial areas emerges from the growth points where important urban infrastructure junctions happen, and a gradient of industrial activities ac-cording to the level of pollution are considered as one of the most im-portant part of compatibility control. The most polluted and largest scale industries are located in the farthest point of the city, while lighter indus-tries are welcomed into the city, in a fragmented fashion.

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Industry Chain - Land ConnectionIndustry Chain - Water Connection

[Industry Chain _ Collaboration Pockets] HINTERLAND CONNECTIVITY

In order to avoid the formation of waterfront blocker and huge monofun-tional blocks, ports work in a fragmented manner, however, collaboration between port cells are well allowed in this system, where the cell clusters are still big enough to be functional for a complete chain production to happen, guaranteeing the productivity of industry activities.

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0 250 500 1000M

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Cargo Ship Size

Ship Channel Axies Port Access Point

BASIN DIMENTION CONTROL

Current Direction

DREDGING PORT BASINS

The west shoreline which is 15m deep and east shoreline which is 8m deep are determined to be primary sailing channales for the ru-gao port, leaving the south shoreline with relatively shallower water, higher possibility of sedimentation to be accessable for the urban citizens as recreational area.

Sailing routes get narrower and shallower as penetrating inland, thus port cells / port basins are also layout from the outside huge scale to inside small scale in order to interweave better when they run across other city programs. Finally, same amount of shoreline is provided as the masterplan requirement.

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[Shoreline Provision] MODIFIED SHORELINE

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0 250 500 1000M

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ROAD NETWORK DEVELOPEMENT

In order to have proximitly 150m x 250m urban blocks the space between two canals which var-ies from 200m to 300m is further subdivided, by secondary roads. Roads would also bifurcate when meeting industry cells, sharing the same logic with the canal bifurcation.

CIRCULATION SOLUTION Cargo and urban transportation

Circulation in harbour city is an important issue. To make sure that ports and city are collaborat-ing but also avoid unnecessary interruption with each other, a hierarchical transportation network is proposed, In which the heavy traffic transporta-tion corridors - cargo channels and roads - barely cross the city, especially in the central inland area, leaving the city wth nicer envionmental qualities as well as lighter tranportation pressure. Cargo ship channels are well led to join the two 100m wide main canals so that cargo ships can also get a smooth access towards the Rugao City to the north. In critical junctions where ship channels intersect with cargo roads, three dimentional junc-tions are proposed, however the number of which is brought to the minumum.

Urban Road

Port Exchanging Points [Hub]

Cargo Channel

Main Road Junctions

Urban Canal

Main Bridges

Cargo Road

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0 250 500 1000M TRANSPORTATION NETWORK

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WIND BARRIER

Wind analysis of dominant local winds helps to understand the movement of air pollution generated by local industry. Layout of topographic lines are thus decided to act as a barrier between resi-dential area and industry. The earth work of making topography would be balanced with that of port basin dredging.

Taking port buffer area as a starting point, the city develops an evenly distributed green infrastructure network, mainly in the east - west direction, all along secondary canals, connecting the west shoreline to the east main canal. They act as well continuous public space as well as corridor for the movement of natrual habitats.

GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE OVERALL LAYOUT

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[Green Buffer Area of Industry] GREEN CORRIDORS

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According to different funtions of green buffer areas, dif-ferent section design is applied. Landscape varies from green coved topography to wetland and flood plains.

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Trees Belt

Better Visual / Noise / Air pollution Barrier; Shade Provision

Constructed Wetland, placed where canal branches passing by industries join with those in residential area.

Dike set back to allow seasonal flood to happen in amenities such as various sports field

Stronger Protection

Weaker Protection

Cleaning Wetland

Flood Plain Sports Field

Topographical Green Space

Tree Coverage

Shrub / Grass Coverage

[Green Buffer Area of Industry] GREEN CORRIDORS

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MASTERPLAN

The final masterplan indicates a combined consideration of port ac-tivities, shoreline modification, road network and green buffer area layout. In other words, its a generic infrastructure layout for further urbanization. The requirement of port operation and urban envion-mental quality are reflected here. The masterplan is a result of the interweaving and negotiation of both.

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0 250 500 1000M [Overal Structure]MASTERPLAN

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IDENTITY: Housing Typology and Port related urban public space

Context and Argument / Site Analysis and Restructure Strategy / New Port Typology / Site Structure Fomulation Process / CITY DEVELOPMENT

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[Population Estimate _2015_ 200,000 ppl]

[Polycentric City Scheme] POPULATION DISTRIBUTION

According to the number of employees each industrial area requires, different city centers are recognized, defined to be three different types - District Center, Borough Center and Neighbourhood Center. Basic services such as super market and commuty centers are provided in each of them, while some different characters are also associated with different centers, for example, the main centers are supposed to be transportation hub, commercial and leisure area respectively.

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DENSITY DISTRUBUTION

Three densities are defined here, from high to low when it get closer to the industry cells. Thus the concentration of habitants, in other words, neighborhood centers, are with a decent adjacency to the industries but meanwhile keep necessary distance. Also, what happens frequently in Chinese new cities is that the predicted population is way too small compared to reality and some cities even need to tore down the new built buildings because they simply need a higher density. Taking the rapid economic growth and requirement of urban expansion into consideration, a bigger contrast between different densities is proposed here, and the highest density area would be the first to be developed, given the city a chance for further correction of its capacity to hold a larger population.

GROWTH SCENARIO

The site restructuring strategy is based on the interpolation of existing infrastructure and fabric pattern. Thus, it is possible to preserve as much as existing agriculture and settlements in every stage of the urban development process. The urban agricul-ture preserved in between industrial cells and residential areas gives flexibility to both as a growth backup. It would shrink in size as the urbanization process going on, but the city will reach its limit of growth when the width of green area / agriculture land reaches the minimum dimension mentioned as green buffer area in the previous chapter.

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[Population Estimate _2015_ 200,000 ppl]

[Polycentric City Scheme] POPULATION DISTRIBUTION

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Type: Light Industry + Housing, Market + Housing , Housing

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HOUSING TYPOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

City Blocks

[City Block Parcelation] HOUSING TYPOLOGY

In order to have proximitly 150m x 250m urban blocks the space between two canals which var-ies from 200m to 300m is further subdivided, by secondary roads. Roads would also bifurcate when meeting industry cells, sharing the same logic with the canal bifurcation.

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MASSING STRATEGY - Sunlight Spacing, View and Site Topography

City Block

Width: 100M - 150M[Half Canal Spacing]

100M - 150M

200M

- 40

0M

Length: 200M - 400M[Decided by site Geometry]

Cana

l

2nd

Road

3rd Road

3rd Road

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[Densification] HOUSING TYPOLOGY

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THICKENED GROUND - FRAGMENTED / PERMEABLE PODIUM ARTICULATING THE SOCIAL ECOLOGY

From a landscape architecture point of view, the ground has significant potential to hold different programs as a public domain of urban life. It performs importantly as the transition between private space - in other words, the enveloped entities - and the outdoor space. Here in Rugao port city, the ground is thickened, to connect the road to the canal which have a height different ranged from 4m to 6m, and accommodate basic local services, acting as a community service and urban public life platform.

Moreover, to provide productivity to this characterized harbour city in which water network and piers work in differ-ent scales, the thickend ground is also considered to be important interchanging point between road traffic to water traffic. In type 1 and 2, light industry is located in the ground, with facilities such as storage/loading/workshop/market, and good connections to both sides - road and canal. In type 3, the individual car and boat parking is well connected to each other, using the semi underground area, which tries to encourage the collaboration of various urban transportation network.

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[Thicken Ground] HOUSING TYPOLOGY

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FAR = 1.0

LIGHT INDUSTRY + OFFICE + HOUSING

TYPE 1

Thickend Ground Section - Type 1

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[Thicken Ground] HOUSING TYPOLOGY

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Type 1

Thickend Ground Section - Type 2 / 3

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[Design Principles Formalization] HOUSING TYPOLOGY

Envelope Cutting

Courtyard

Light Industry Pier

Enlarged Canal Front Public Space

Boat Parking for Housing

Road

125M 125M

Cana

l

Road

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MASSING STRATEGY - Manipulating Desification / Maximize the Waterfront Area

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[Manipulating the envelope] HOUSING TYPOLOGY

The envelope cutting strategies are translated into different architectur-al solutions. The cut in the upper part is realized by a terracing system while the lower part would accomodate some programs which require inclined floor design. In this way, a better view on the canal and so-lar radiation of housing is distributed. The semi public space also gets more openness and is thus provided with better spatial quality and permeability.

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PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Public transportation is largely encouraged in Rugao Port City. Differ-ent infrastructure support is provided, both in macro and micro scale. In the city scale, wider secondary canals (east - west) connect city cen-ters, shaping a general structure of urban public transport. In the local scale, the canal-front has variations of design according to the type of residential units, to accommodate different piers - light industry load-ing pier, boat stations and parking - which also contribute to the local identities.

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[Canal Waterfront] HOUSING TYPOLOGY

TYPE 1: Individual Boat Parking / Boat Station

TYPE 2/3: Loading Piers

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CITY CENTER DEVELOPMENT

Historically, port has very intimate relationship with the emergence of city center, the images of the city such as Amsterdam and Rotterdam, are highly related to the flour-ishing quay area. Some ports, such as small scale trading piers, have the potential of forming the center of public urban life.One example of in micro scale design is presented, demonstrating how the city cen-ter and the rest of the city can be joint and can take advantage of each other when the two of them meet each other in a local scale. The port cell, which is a transition, or in other words, an exchanging point between the end of industrial chain and the commercial area of the city, has dual Function. It is a combination of the domain of trade market and loading unloading port activities. And it is also considered as an important element to generate local identities.

The Port Cell as relocated port -city interface

Port: Logistic Port and Related MarketCity: Commercial Center

Location

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Exchanging point:Individual Car Transportation >>>>Public Transportation

[Plan and Site Circulation] CITY CENTER URBAN PUBLIC SPACE

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CITY CENTER URBAN PUBLIC SPACE

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Bibiography

[1] Han Meyer, City and Port: The Transformation of Port Cities: London, Barcelona, New York and Rotterdam, International Books, April 2003

[2] H.G. Blaauw and H.J. Verhey, Design of inland navigation fairways. Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal and Ocean Engineering, Vol. 109, No. 1, February 1983

[3] Rem Koolhaas, Bruce Mau, Hans Werlemann, S M L XL. Monacelli Press. New York, 1997

[4] Bernard Cache, Manuel De Landa, Phylogenesis Foa’s Ark: Foreign Office Architects, Actar, April 2004

[5] Charles Waldheim, The Landscape Urbanism Reader, Princeton Architectural Press, June 2006

[6] Mohsen Mostafavi, Ciro Najle, Landscape Urbanism: A Manual for the Machinic Landscape, AA Publications, London, July 2004

[7] Per Bruun, Port Engineering and Its Relation to Coastal Engineering, Journal of Coastal Research, Vol 14 No 3 pp 1152-1157, Coastal Education & Research Foundation, March 2010

[8] Aubrey Diem, Urban Development Problems of the Ports of Rotterdam and Amsterdam, Geography Department, University of Waterloo, March 2010

[9] Rutger van der Brugge, Linking water policy innovation and urban renewal: the case of Rotterdam, The Netherlands, Section of Water Resources, Delft University of Technology, March 2010

[10] Hendrik Kuipers, The Changing Landscape of the Island of Rozenburg (Rotterdam Port Area), Geographical Review, Vol. 52 No. 3 pp 362 - 378, American Geographical Society, March 2010

[11] Brian Hoyle, Global and Local Change on the Port - City Waterfront, Geographical Review, Vol 90 No 3 pp 395 - 417, American Geographical Society, March 2010

[12] G. J. Van de Ruit, Simulation of Shipping Traffic Flow in the Maasvlakte Port Area of Rotterdam, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands, Jan 2009

[13] Alejandro Zaera Polo, The Politics of the Envelope: A Political Critique of Materialism, Volume 17 pp. 76-105.

[14] David Leatherbarrow. Topographical stories: studies in landscape and architecture. University Of Pennsylvania Press (United States), 2004

Acknowledgement

Teaching Staff

Eva Castro

Eduardo Rico

Alfredo Ramìrez

Others

Nicola Saladino

Zhuo Li

27/09/2010

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