RECREATIONAL DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT, ZHENGZHOU, CHINA

GROUP MEMBERS: LARS GRAEBNER’S GLOBAL DESIGN STUDIO 2015

The vision for this project was to create a pedestrian-oriented urban fabric that integrates and directs different users and programmatic elements within Zhengzhou central Recreational district. Efficient reorganization of the green buffer zones that typically line Chinese superblocks allows for dynamic public spaces to permeate through the grid, providing walkable, intimately scaled blocks that promote a dense, healthy, and vibrant urban lifestyle. The studio included a design workshop held in the city of Zhengzhou, during which time I worked with an international team consisting of students from Beijing University of civil engineering as well as members of SPD, an urban planning office based in Beijing.

After returning to the U.S. following the design workshop in Zhengzhou, I played a wide variety of roles within our newly assembled Michigan studio team. Along with working with my fellow classmates on the overall urban strategy, conceptual diagrams, and the construction of the physical model, my primary responsibilities consisted of the design of the destination plaza district. The focus of my design was the Ripple Hotel, which served as the focal point of the Waterfront Recreational District.