Open Menu
Shenzhen – Global design firm NBBJ has won an international competition to design Net City, a city of the future in Shenzhen, China. The city is designed to be sustainable and human-centric, with an extensive public transport network and environmental performance trackers.

Net City is a two-million-square-meter district commissioned by Tencent, China’s largest internet company. With human-centric and sustainable design, it will feature an extensive public transport network, energy-generating systems, and greenery and wetlands. 

It is designed to meet Tencent’s growing office needs, according to an article on inhabitat.com. The buildings will range from single-story to three-story structures, and will include living quarters, schools and retail spaces. 

“A typical city calls for simplistic and efficient zoning to keep everything under strict control and facilitate the flow of goods, cars and people,” said Jonathan Ward, design partner at NBBJ, in the article. “In today’s computer-driven world, we are free to imagine a highly integrated city that brings ‘work, live, play’ closer together to foster more synergy between people.”

Net City’s public transport network will feature a subway, bus and shuttle system, alongside a folding green corridor for pedestrians. The city will also have sustainable features, such as rooftop solar panels, green roofs and environmental performance trackers to reduce the district’s overall environmental footprint, writes Inhabitat.