12 March 2014
Atkins has completed a plan for the Dongliang River restoration and landscape design which creates a new riverfront in the fast-developing western Chinese city of Chongqing and mitigates flooding and poor water quality.
Dr Yufeng Guo, Atkins’ director for water engineering in China, said: “The city needed a design strategy for dealing with flood and poor water quality issues affecting the central Dongliang river. This was a heavy engineering task but it had to be handled sensitively as our other prime directive was to ensure the waterway evolved into an attractive urban feature.”
The plan provides facilities for water sports, fishing and rock climbing, and the whole area is walkable and cycle-friendly, Atkins said.
The plan provides facilities for water sports, fishing and rock climbing, and the whole area is walkable and cycle-friendly
While Chongqing has 29 million inhabitants, the project is designed to encourage tourism and help regenerate the surrounding district.
Atkins says it is one of the first projects in China to tackle water contamination and ecology.
Atkins brought in a multidisciplinary team to work on the project, including water engineers, landscape architects, urban planners and tourism consultants.