Diamond Cutting

This 2.7-square-kilometer, diamond-shaped urban district is located immediately north of Sanjiangkou, the geographic center of Ningbo. Drawing simultaneously from the site’s historical memory and existing urban conditions, our master plan takes the two dramatically contrasting riverfronts on the east and west as the generators of the district’s identity.

From these two waterfront conditions emerge two distinct urban typologies: vibrant commercial streets connected to the wharfs and trading history of the Yongjiang River, and quiet, tree-lined greenways extending from the ecological landscape of the Yaojiang River corridor. Varying in scale and character, these two systems unfold across the site in intersecting directions, producing countless moments of encounter, compression, and release within the urban fabric.

We describe this process as “diamond cutting”, the careful shaping of streets, blocks, and intersections into a multifaceted urban field whose intensity and brilliance are revealed through movement, overlap, and reflection.

Area:

270 ha