Theme Interpretation

Quality City Development Guided by New Technology

“Planning and Design for Beautiful Hebei--- Q-City International Young Designer Competition” as an exploration to improving quality of urban public spaces, it is also an exploration in finding innovative and or artistic approaches. With the potential of introducing automated urban renewal/repair systems, the integration of smart health or sports facilities, intelligent urban furniture, interactive art installations, intelligent lighting and way-finding systems, competitors are encouraged to implement new technologies such as 3D-printing, 5G technology, and artificial intelligence, and propose new perspectives, new stages and new focus to enrich the daily life and stimulate the vitality of the city.
The theme selected for this competition is“Quality City Development Guided by New Technology”, it is to take on a micro approach to a specific site Renmin Road directly, rather than the general macro overall approach to the urban design of Handan City. The competition places an emphasis on new science, technology and social perspective equally, and competitors are asked to start off with a future lifestyle, providing a new sample for the creative development of future city through smart design, in hopes of improving the quality of its citizen’s life and its harmony with nature.

Competition Requirement

1.Design Principles
(1) Creativity: Create diverse and interesting places for Handan citizens and tourists. Design should be original;
(2) Science & Technology: Design should consider the most cutting-edge technology, such as 5G, AI, 3D printing, etc., reflecting the power of science and technology;
(3) Locality: Project should be designed with a comprehensive consideration of local history, culture, and natural environment of Handan with its regional features highlighted;
(4) Sustainability: The sustainability of materials and operation should be considered;
(5) Feasibility: The selection of material, and the form of construction should all be feasible;
(6) People-orientation: Designs should fully consider diverse needs of different groups of people and provide citizens and tourists urban spaces for activities.

2.Design Category
Based on the daily activities of citizens, through field investigation and digital data collection, the competitors are asked to comprehensively analyzes the users along Renmin Road (between Handan East Station and Garden Expo Station), and to explore methods of improving the quality of urban space. Focus should be placed on improving the quality of urban space, convenient urban services and facilities, smart urban furniture, smart street and other issues, one or more of the previously mentioned topics could be included in the competitor’s design.
(1) Smart Urban Furniture (Digital Information Kiosk, Mail and Newspaper Kiosk, “Cloud” Cabinet, Courier Kiosk, Smart Bus Station, Smart Charging Station, Smart Trash Bin, etc.)
(2) Convenient Service Facilities (Community Post Office, Public Toilet, Parking Lot, Snack Stand, Vehicular Charging Station, Recreational and Fitness Facilities, Children's Facilities, etc.)
(3) Public Art or Installations (Landscape Sculpture, Cultural Representation, Pavilions, Verandas, Public Seating, etc.)
Participants can submit an independent work or a series of entries. Multiple entries are not accepted. The series works refer to the series of creations under the same theme, while production-oriented repetitive patchwork is discouraged.

Competition Procedures

1.Registration
(1)The competition is open to international or national young designers and artists, teams of teachers and students in the fields of planning, architecture, landscape, art and intelligent design. Meanwhile, interdisciplinary professionals or practitioners and representatives of new technology and new energy research institutions are encouraged to participate. This is an open competition to the public, individual or team competitors are both accepted.
(2)For registration, please log in the competition website: http://qcityhandan.uedmgazine.net, click "register/sign-up" to register and fill in the information;
(3)Please keep the sole registration number properly after submitting the registration information online (the registration number is the telephone number which is submitted).

2.Site
(1) The organizing committee shall provide basic information on the recommended sites; participants can select one from these sites.
(2) Participants are also encouraged to select sites and design theme by themselves, discovering and finding solutions for urban issues in a bottom-up approach under the theme of “Planning and Design for Beautiful Hebei”. Self-selected site should be real site in the city of Handan. Photos, satellite images and videos of the site are required in submission materials. Participants are required to consult the organizing committee on the specific condition of self-selected sites before design.
(3) Whether the participants choose the provided site or self-selected site has no influence on the jury review. (The information of the provided site can be downloaded from the official website).