Magic Mountains, (Green) Central Business District in Chongqing (proposal)

LINK: Download catalogue
LINK: Biennals 2006: CO-EVOLUTION

At the Biennals 2006: CO-EVOLUTION, Danish/Chinese collaboration on sustainable urban development in china, the CEBO/Chongqing University team showed off this crazy plan.

“Chongqing, the biggest municipality in the world, is undergoing high-speed urban development. 50 million m2 of floor space and 500 km of highways are being added to the urban landscape and 1,200,000 people are relocating to the city every year.

Magic Mountains is an urban design proposing a new “Green” Central Business District (GCBD). The GCBD district resembles the natural skyline of Chongqing, but with inhabited mountains. The mountain-peaks match the high density centres; the mountains lower reaches resemble traditional Chinese neighbourhoods. The valleys are green open spaces accommodating the “living machine” – a system treating wastewater and generating renewable energy.

The inhabited mountains will reduce energy consumption by supporting passive cooling in summer and passive heating in winter. They are interconnected by a system of bicycle and pedestrian paths, and an efficient public transport system to minimize the need for transportation by car. Magic Mountains reduces the overall consumption of resources and energy by 22% and subtitutes 11% conventional energy for renewable.”