A design proposal submitted by world-renowned architecture firm Aedas and two Shenzhen design companies stood out among their competitors to win the international bidding for the conceptual design of the renovation project of Huanggang Checkpoint in Futian District, the Shenzhen Municipal Public Works Bureau’s project management center announced Tuesday.
The design, presented by Aedas, Shenzhen-based design firm CAPOL and Shenzhen Transportation Design and Research Institute Co. Ltd., emphasizes high efficiency, inclusiveness and environmental friendliness in the new checkpoint, which after renovation is intended for use as an integrated structure as both a border crossing and a transport hub, Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported.
The “3-D” road design will separate connection traffic for individuals and border-crossing vehicles. The people-oriented design concept pays special attention to facilitating the convenient connection of rail transit between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, speeding up customs clearance to increase capacity to up to 300,000 travelers a day.
According to Aedas, the renovated checkpoint will also integrate commerce, culture and lifestyle, serving as a “green” public space for residents in the neighborhood.
Renovations on Huanggang Checkpoint started in June last year. It will proceed in three phases: The setup of a temporary border inspection site, the dismantlement of an old inspection building and the construction of the new checkpoint.
Huanggang Checkpoint, inaugurated Dec. 29, 1989, is the only land port between Shenzhen and Hong Kong that offers round-the-clock customs clearance services since January 2003. Said to be the largest land port on the Chinese mainland, Huanggang Checkpoint has seen about 1 billion travelers and 200 million vehicles since its inauguration. Huanggang Checkpoint’s import and export volume accounts for 10 percent of the national total.
Covering an area of 80,000 square meters, the new checkpoint building with a floor space of about 400,000 square meters will also serve as an important transport hub that connects a State-level science center and the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Corridor.
Aedas is a world-famed architecture and design practice with 12 offices around the globe. Its design portfolio includes the Shenzhen Airport Satellite Concourse (set for completion this year), the Hong Kong passenger clearance building of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, among other projects.