2020-05-15

"City Escape" from the Eye of an Architect

In this time of being isolated and ‘locked down’ in our city apartment blocks with their small balconies we have not been able to visit city centre attractions. There has been a desire for people to escape the new urban city life where we can still socially distance ourselves from others. To get away and re-appreciate what nature has to offer.  

This is reflected in the UK with people trying to escape to their ‘holiday homes’ even with people in high government positions losing their positions and jobs when found to be breaking the government’s own rules on protecting people against the spread of COVID - 19.

Before this time in China there had already been a rise in ‘edge of’ and ‘out of town’ development as part of the urban expansion that was taking place. Haskoll had carried out a number of these projects, outside cities across China including: Chongqing, Guizhou and Changchun. These projects help to decentralise the city and spread population densities with groups of smaller ‘neighbourhood or satellite’ communities. This kind of environment is both more social and shown to be safer in the spread of any pandemic.  

With social distancing measures which could be here to stay these types of development may continue their appeal. Allowing people to enjoy nature, socially distance from the crowded cities and utilise the much improved and expanded public transport systems taking people away from cities at lightning speed! This is one such facility situated on the edge of a city providing water park facilities in connected but separate ‘park pavilions’ that provide space for social distancing and an environment that is a safe haven from the crowded city.  

Other recent Haskoll projects which are under design development have included new ski resorts in time for the Beijing winter Olympics, hillside homes in Guizhou and holiday beachside resorts outside Qingdao and Xiamen. Again these projects utilize large floor areas for a variety of leisure activities that have the flexibility to operate both in crowded conditions as well as in a ‘social distancing’ condition when this is necessary.

All of these projects have two things in common: firstly to help people appreciate the beauty of the natural surroundings and secondly to be spatially planned and located to utilise good transportation links by road and rail from established city areas and thereby offer lifestyle experiences that are healthy, desirable and achievable in this present time.