Over spring break, an urban design team from Georgia Tech conducted a workshop on a 10KM2 near Zero Energy District for a Disney site in Shanghai. Sixteen Georgia Tech students are involved in the International Urban Design Studio this year, led by Professor Perry Yang of the School of City and Regional Planning and the School of Architecture, and Professor John Koon of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Rapid urbanization in China is causing urban and social changes, generating unprecedented ecological consequences, prompting energy issues and global climate impacts. The Tech team proposed an ecologically sensitive and performance-driven urban design model that aims to creating a sustainable, low carbon, near-zero energy city at district level. The team proposed using advanced simulation technology to integrate urban design and infrastructure systems, including water, energy, and material to achieve the near-zero emission objective.

The project site is located near Disney’s biggest resort in China, which provides a unique educational and research opportunity for testing novel ideas. The weeklong workshop ended in a symposium and an exhibition on March 26th at Tongji University in Shanghai. Included in the event were stakeholders from the Shanghai City Government, Disney Research China (DRC) of Walt Disney Imagineering, Covestro of the previous Bayer Material Science, Tongji University, and renowned experts from Global Carbon Project (GCP) of Japan and the center of Future Energy Profile (MDH) of Sweden.

The 10KM2 near Zero-Energy District is an experimental pilot project developed by an international collaboration between the Eco Urban Lab of Georgia Tech and Tongji University, Disney Research China, Covestro, and Applied Energy. 

For more information, contact:

Perry Yang, Associate Professor
School of City and Regional Planning & School of Architecture
perry.yang@coa.gatech.edu
(404) 894-2076