GLOBAL ARCHITECTURE & MASTERPLANNING -Adapting To New Realities

The impact of Covid-19 has introduced a “new normal” that makes people question and evaluate their environments more than ever as the world is constantly reacting and anticipating a relatively unknown future. This has caused the way architecture and masterplanning is conceived, designed and developed to be looked at in all new lights, and this will lead to all new developments the world over. Here, RLI takes a look at a selection of global projects that portray world-class architecture and masterplanning.

Despite all the changes in the world in the last 12 months, architectural masterplanning is a critical first step in the design process, requiring extensive experience to fulfil a client’s needs, taking the whole picture into consideration including the surrounding buildings, environment and infrastructure. The master plan should include present and future goals and the probability of long term changes. Creating a masterplan is an economical investment that ensures both accurate and functional decisions are made in each stage of the project development.

Global Projects
Located in the upscale community of Hoakalei, Wai Kai is a new lifestyle destination that will be unlike any other waterfront development on the island of O’ahu. With more than 100 shops, restaurants, and entertainment, Wai Kai will be a new gathering place where visitors can connect to both land and ocean.

Designed by CallisonRTKL, Wai Kai’s retail environment is designed to cater to everyone from local residents to international and domestic visitors. The wide range of offerings spread throughout Wai Kai showcase signature restaurants and shops that feature Hawaii’s local flavours. In connection to the island’s beautiful landscape, Wai Kai incorporates a variety of lush greenery, Hawaiian plants, and koi ponds to create an oasis-like environment.

Launched last year, the Grandscape project in Texas, which was developed by Nebraska Furniture Mart with design architecture from HTH Architects, is one of the largest and most unique mixed-use development projects in the US. Occupying 433 acres in north Dallas, the scheme will boast three million square feet of retail, entertainment, and dining, residential, office and attraction space. Phase 1, which opened in March 2020 includes such attractions such as Andretti Indoor Karting & Games, Galaxy Theatres and the largest all sports store in the world, SCHEELS. In an effort to keep this destination vibrant, modern and appealing, it features technology, a carefully curated merchandising mix & warm and inviting architecture.

Lead8, the international award-winning design firm, has unveiled its appointment as the overall masterplanner for the Shougang Park Urban Weaving District in Beijing. The firm also delivered the architecture design of the first phase transit-oriented, mixed-use scope of the overall urban generation masterplan. The masterplan forms part of a significant rejuvenation undertaking in Beijing as the site transforms a 100-year-old Capital Steel Factory Park into a thriving multi-activity destination. Comprising retail, office, hotel, entertainment, public transport interchange (PTI), and MICE, the scheme is targeting high-tech firms as future tenants. Once complete, the project is set to become a future flagship transit-oriented development (TOD) in the city’s new Shougang North District. Located above the new metro interchange station of M11 and R1 in Shougang, the project will feature as the gateway welcoming visitors to the 2022 Winter Olympics site.

Chengdu Future City is a car-free masterplan for the capital of China’s Sichuan province designed by architecture studio OMA to focus on the site’s existing geography and topography. The 4.6sq km scheme, which is being developed within the rolling hills of east Chengdu, will contain six clusters that are modelled on traditional village settlements in the city. Each of these zones will be designed by OMA to blend in with its surrounding landscape and incorporate spaces dedicated to education and innovation. There will also be areas dedicated to housing, government facilities and commercial and public venues, and one cluster with an elevated, circular building transport hub. According to OMA, the goal of the masterplan is to challenge conventional urban planning models, which are typically driven by road networks or maximising gross floor area. Instead, the scheme is dictated by geography and topography of the site, with a focus on establishing connections to the existing landscape so that the architecture forms a part of it.

Novotown is an international retail, leisure & entertainment mixed-use project comprising of diverse and complementary components including themed retail, hotel, office, cultural studios and cultural pavilions. The theme park integrated experiential retail includes Lionsgate Entertainment World and NatGeo Ultimate Explorer in the form of a mall in Phase 1 and Real Madrid World, Ducati Experience Centre and Sports Clubhouse in the form of cultural pavilions in Phase 2. The design brief was for a masterplan disposition that can facilitate synergy between the different uses and encourage the development of a hybrid experience by extending the public realm and the creation of pockets of spaces for recreational outdoor sports and leisure, F&B, commercial and social activities.

Valley is a place where people will be able to truly live, work and enjoy city life all in one place. It is an exciting mix of prime offices, a cultural exposition space, retail units, parking facilities and residential apartments at the core of Amsterdam’s South Axis. Valley will be delivered at the end of summer 2021 and has been designed by MVRDV. Construction on the mountainous 75,000sq m mixed-use complex began in 2017 and will bring much-needed greenery to Amsterdam’s Zuidas business district thanks to its landscape of jagged stone terraces, bay-windows and balconies, with dense planting designed by landscape architect Piet Oudolf.

Global architects and masterplanners Benoy was tasked with masterplanning the retail and commercial component of Økern’s urban redevelopment programme. Located at a key intersection of rail, bus and highway infrastructure projects, the development should capitalize on high levels of accessibility and create a new commercial hub for the district. Benoy’s solution skilfully combines a compact retail plan with a dramatic glazed entrance capturing footfall from the transport interchange. A new open street connects the retail project to the wider masterplan and externalizes the shopping environment with food and beverage terraces, pavilions and highly visible entrances to the office towers surmounting the retail podium.

Paveletskaya Plaza is a project Located within the historic site of the Moscow Paveletsky Railway Station and the project functions as part urban park, part retail centre. The new design’s primary role looks to re-establish this lost connection between the historic structure and the plaza. At the park level, a system of layers accentuates interconnected spaces to activate the public realm near the street level. In its entirety, Paveletskaya Plaza satisfies a series of challenges by framing each as an opportunity to unify distinct pieces. The dynamic assemblage formed between the station, the street-level plaza, the subterranean retail space, and the Garden Ring Road establishes a visual and spatial connection across multiple elevations to create an enhanced experience throughout. The scheme is being designed by Lead8 in collaboration with SWA.

Located at the heart of Ireland’s largest sustainable urban development, Cherrywood Town Centre is being developed as a street and squares retail, F&B, entertainment and community destination. Highly connected, and underpinned by seamless technology integration, Cherrywood will be launched next year and is developed with the customer of the future in mind, from design to dining and first-class amenities. South Dublin has been underserved in terms of retail for a long time; retailers are lacking quality retail space that meets modern needs while customers are demanding new, exciting concepts and new-to market retail brands. With one of the strongest and most affluent catchments in Ireland, there is solid demand for a retail offering like Cherrywood’s. The project is being developed by Hines and has a team of architects behind it.

St James Quarter will be an 850,000sq ft world renowned, retail-led, mixed-use destination for the future designed by Allan Murray Architects with BDP. Boasting a world-class retail, leisure, hotel and residential offer and injecting over £1bn of investment into the city, the scheme will strengthen Edinburgh’s global standing by transforming the city’s East End. Now becoming an inspiring, attractive and vibrant destination for people to live, shop, experience and play, St James Quarter will be a prime example of city enhancing place making – a result of best in class design and delivery. By taking a strategic and integrated approach to the planning, design and management of the project, St James Quarter will create a unique, inspiring place to live and visit, set within and integrating with the historic context of the New Town and world heritage site when it opens later this year, with the final stage of the development, the W Hotel set to launch in 2022. Designed by award-winning architecture and interior design practice Jestico + Whiles, in conjunction with Allan Murray Architects, the 12-storey W Edinburgh will feature a striking exterior façade, evoking the festival spirit of Edinburgh and creating an outstanding landmark building at the heart of the city.

Chapman Taylor has created the masterplan for an innovative new urban district adjacent to King Abdulaziz International Airport in the Saudi city of Jeddah. The 1.91 million square metre GBA masterplan for Airport City introduces an innovative mixed-use community concept to the region, creating diverse tourism and business opportunities while also providing a dynamic lifestyle and family entertainment venue. The scheme will deliver a dynamic and sustainable mix of provisions around a central avenue, which links the airport’s railway station to the airport’s dedicated mosque. Included within the masterplan are shops, leisure and entertainment functions, healthcare clinics, private residences, a financial district, an artisans’ district, a green food yard and a central artists’ district. A “Saudi Dreams” centre will provide an ideal showcase for the Kingdom’s culture and ambitions.

Bluewater Island Wharf is a reclaimed island development situated off the south western end of Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR) and Dubai Marina. It comprises approximately 32ha of land area. The integrated development includes an iconic Ferris wheel plaza, destination food market along with a dining and retail experience, a family entertainment centre, a five-star resort hotel, a private beach, exclusive residences and all supporting community facilities. Architect Woods Bagot and Developer Meraas worked together to develop the detailed design for all buildings in the Wharf Retail precinct including canopy design, the facade design and internal layouts as well as the design development of the transportation hub.