Ronald Lu & Partners Brings World-Class Ultra-High Density Design to South China’s Rapidly Urbanising Greater Bay Area
27 September 2021
[September 2021, China] Award-winning architecture practice Ronald Lu & Partners (RLP), known for its future-ready designs, brings its expertise in designing for ultra-high density urban environments to China’s Greater Bay Area (GBA), a region covering the cities of Hong Kong, Macau, and nine fast-developing municipalities in Guangdong Province*. Most of these cities were once considered industrial areas; they are now being redeveloped. With urbanisation in China rapidly expanding and populations increasing, the GBA is an integral part of South China’s overall development strategy.
The GBA is being shaped into a world-class city cluster of the future that will be an ideal place for living, working and travelling. Approximately 56,000 km2 in size with a population of around 86 million people**, the GBA is a major focal point for China’s innovation-driven development drive, which encourages sustainable urban living while connecting communities and creating convenience for residents. This comes at a crucial time, with the exploration of ways to develop cities of the future and smart towns at an all-time high.
RLP is bringing their expertise in human-centric designs and sustainable strategies for high-density urban environments into this exciting setting. By improving the GBA’s ecological quality, developing human-centric spatial layouts and industrial structures, and putting green, low-carbon and circular development into practice, the firm will help make the GBA environmentally conscious and sustainably driven.
“Our projects in the Greater Bay Area adhere to a people-centric development philosophy. We want ecological conservation, streamlined information technology and smart city management to become ingrained in the GBA so as to raise the quality of life for residents. This combined city cluster will offer distinct geographical advantages and economic strengths. Innovation and education will accelerate, cultural hubs will become more vibrant and integrated as there will be access to high-quality arts and culture programmes, and scientific and technological achievements will be significantly enhanced. Our goal is to design a quality living circle, connecting high-density urban environments with world-class public amenities for living, working and traveling.” – Bryant Lu, Vice Chairman of Ronald Lu & Partners
Building high-efficiency green cities in the GBA
RLP is now a trusted advisor to governments and developers across the GBA. Their primary strength is designing for expanding populations in high-density urban environments, having participated in over 45 rail-related projects covering 94 transportation stations in Hong Kong. The firm is considered a pioneer in transit-oriented development (TOD), which is becoming a new standard for urban development, particularly in mainland China. Similar to the vision for the Greater Bay Area, TOD brings communities together by creating walkable neighbourhoods, reducing traffic congestion and encouraging the use of public transportation, all of which minimise carbon consumption and create a cleaner and more convenient environment for residents.
RLP’s transit, cultural, green design, and experiential city expertise propels the firm to create designs that promote a zero-carbon lifestyle and that integrate with their surroundings and local communities in numerous way. Take UniPark in Zhuhai, a waterfront TOD considered to be an “urban regenerator of a healthy lifestyle”, or the Vanke Wonderland in Foshan, a pioneering TOD designed around the concept of an “urban core”.
More recently, RLP developed Guangfo Plaza and Urban Design of the Surrounding Land, a biophilic mega TOD considered to be an urban park, innovation hub and a green bridge connecting Guangzhou and Foshan. Finally, latest on the long list of RLP’s transit-focused projects is Shunde Future City, a comprehensive TOD city design combining high-end businesses, smart homes, future-forward co-working spaces and shared residences, set for completion in 2022.
* The nine municipalities in Guangdong Province under the Greater Bay Area development plan are: Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen, and Zhaoqing.
**The total area is of the GBA is approximately 56,000 km2, based on 2020 figures from the government of Guangdong Province, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (SARG) and the Macau SARG. Based on the same figures, the total population of the GBA is around 86 million and the GDP is USD 1,668.8 billion.
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About Ronald Lu & Partners
Ronald Lu & Partners (RLP) is an award-winning architecture practice focused on human-centric, future-ready design. Founded in 1976, RLP is known throughout Asia as being a trailblazer in sustainable architecture. For more than 45 years, our deep roots in China and our international perspective have allowed us to build a global portfolio spanning green architecture, master planning, transit-oriented development, and interior design. Working in partnership with many of the world’s leading developers, government bodies and institutions, we bring the values of our clients to life in high-density urban environments to “Design Better Life” for the people and communities that use these spaces.