Dongli Hu was an opportunity to create a new sustainable town over an area of 900,000 m2. Some of the ideas used included central heating and cooling systems in a site with more than 50% green coverage and extensive landscaping. Site orientation was critical to ensuring interest in the urban planning and design while maximising the available light and heat gain into the buildings. The accommodation buildings are typically only one apartment deep allowing air movement and natural ventilation at the user's discretion. A site wide rating system is being applied to ensure that any buildings developed on the site meet the minimum standard required. The site is located between Tianjin and the TEDA and as such is intended to accommodate a range of potential users. The ustralian theme for the development was particularly important as it reinforced the abundance of sustainable living options available. By integrating an extensive sustainable basis into the design, the site can achieve significant savings both in energy use and costs, while creating better value and return on the investment for both the developer and the end purchaser. The project includes a 5 star hotel, extensive apartment and villa accommodation, a winery, large retail precinct and commercial offices. Innovation was a key driver for the alignment of sustainability ideas with their potential implementation on site. The project has achieved government approval and is now set to commence design development for the first of 3 stages. Architektonic is the lead architect for the design and the sustainability consultant for the whole development. Construction is anticipated to commence in 2011.

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