THE Shenzhen Center for Design (SCD) said Saturday that it had officially initiated an international urban design optimization competition with prizes for the Shenzhen Bay Super Headquarters Base, the Shekou News reported yesterday.

According to the SCD, the competition is open to design firms that are global and future-oriented. With a vision of creating a world-class urban cluster in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, design firms are required to refine and detail the original planning’s deliverables and achieve the goal of developing Shenzhen Bay into an intensive, efficient, ecological and people-oriented “future city.”

Systematic design of the structural layout, such as the developmental strength, functional composition, public space, underground space, architectural style, ecological landscape, urban skyline, integrated transportation and smart city applications, is required to strengthen the planning control of spatial form and to guide the effective, scientific and orderly planning, construction and operation management of the area.

The competition, including three stages, namely prequalification, design evaluation and deliverables consolidation, is open to all international and local design firms or consortiums. Individual applicants will not be accepted, said the SCD.

The design firm that wins first place will be rewarded 4 million yuan (US$586,975). The two second-place winners will each receive a 3-million-yuan prize, while the other 12 finalists will each receive 800,000 yuan.

Located in the southern coastal area of Shenzhen OCT, Shenzhen Bay Super Headquarters Base is a core segment of the Tanglang Mountain-OCT-Shenzhen Bay urban functional space axis. It adjoins Shenzhen Bay on the south side, overlooking Hong Kong from across the sea, with the inner lake wetland of OCT to the north, Shehe golf course to the west, and OCT Harbor to the east. The core area of the planning covers 117 hectares of land.

Metro lines 2, 9 and 11 intersect there, giving the area a unique natural landscape, prominent urban gateway image and high value for integrated urban deve-lopment in the future.

Currently, there are 12 industrial giants, including Evergrande, Vanke, ZTE, Hengli Group, Digital China, settled at the base, which plan to invest a total of 88 billion yuan.

The construction of Evergrande’s headquarters started in the beginning of the year. The real-estate giant plans to build a skyscraper that is more than 400 meters tall.

(Zhang Qian)