2. Prize for schneider+schumacher
Hangzhou – also known as the "Garden of China" – is the capital of Zhejiang Province, located some 200 kilometres south-southwest of Shanghai. In a former industrial area in the north of the city, a five-kilometre-long section of embankment along the Grand Canal is due to be developed into a "new city centre", together with the adjacent neighbourhoods.
In the "Hangzhou Grand Canal" urban planning competition, schneider+schumacher’s design concept "Passage du Flâneur" was awarded 2nd Prize. The proposed design takes the form of an interconnected multi-level landscape with ascents and descents in the form of ramps, stairs, public parks, areas for sport, and playgrounds. Some 30 submissions were submitted at the first stage, and 5 projects chosen for the second stage. In the next phase, several architectural competitions will be held to assign architects to plan specific buildings or regions.