The Haishu Waterfront district is an island, surrounded by water on all four sides, offering a unique topographical setting in which to reimagine urban life in 21st century China. Contemporary Chinese cities have entered a new era of 21st-century urbanism. Old strategies for developing new districts no longer work: cities cannot rely on instant buildings, and iconic projects no longer beget their own economies.

The design of the waterfront is informed by diligent analysis and driven by a thoughtful approach to mixed-use districts, which have a range of scales depending on the intensity of their surrounding urban context. Designed alongside a carefully considered modular grid, the master plan takes into account the specific realities of the tech-driven economy: its market trends, pricing patterns, demographic shifts, and ecological idiosyncrasies. Within this metropolitan island, we have created a vast number of possibilities for how life can unfold in the contemporary Chinese city.