Hangang Green Jade
River corridor strategy reconnecting urban Seoul to Hangang ecology
The Hangang Green Jade masterplan transforms a polluted steel production site in Handan, Hebei province, China, into a mixed-use district for over 50,000 residents. Working with UNStudio, Except developed the integrated sustainability strategy for the 370-hectare site. Soil remediation converts contaminated land into the historic and cultural heart of the city. Sponge city water management, decentralized water purification, and biodiversity restoration are embedded throughout a 2.6-hectare green core surrounded by 890,000m2 of gross floor area.
The Problem
The site in Handan consists of former steel production facilities and heavily contaminated land. Soil pollution, urban flooding risk, water shortages, and the absence of cultural and community infrastructure all required simultaneous resolution. The client needed a masterplan that could remediate the land, create a vibrant mixed-use district, and ensure the long-term wellbeing of 50,000 residents without displacing the site's historical significance.Process
Soil remediation integrated into building typologies
Rather than treating soil remediation as a precondition to development, Except integrated remediation techniques into the building and landscape typologies themselves. Over time, polluted areas transform into the green core, becoming the cultural and historic heart of the city.Sponge city water strategy
The masterplan avoids concreted surfaces throughout, using traditional parks, urban gardens, pocket parks, and innovative technological landscapes to absorb and retain rainwater. Decentralized water purification systems support local agriculture and reduce dependence on centralized infrastructure.Culture and history as planning structure
An arts precinct showcases Handan's history, linked directly to the Green Jade site. A low-density green village provides recreational amenity and mental wellbeing infrastructure for residents.Outcomes
- Residents
- 50,000
- Served by the masterplan
- Project area
- 370 ha
- Total site in Handan, Hebei
- Green Jade core
- 2.6 ha
- Ecological and cultural heart
- Gross floor area
- 10.5M m2
- Mixed-use programme
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