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| The History of Haishi The Mirage
City Project) |
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Large-scale developments are currently
underway on Hang-Qin Island, located south
of Zhuhai City. They include the construction of a financial center,
various government offices, and residential and recreational developments.
They are expected to be completed before the year 2010 and will eventually
accommodate 650,000 people.
The municipal government of Zhuhai City invited Arata Isozaki to consult
on the development around the southern coast of Hang-Qin Island. Isozaki
proposed the creation of an artificial island on the shallow sea.
On this artificial island, cultural and academic institutions, business
and convention facilities as well as housing units and hotels could
be developed. Isozaki*s idea was that the project should not limit
itself to the physical planning, but also involve a search for "Utopia,"
not in the context of modernity but in the context of contemporary
society.
Practical aspects of the project were developed in collaboration with
the Center for Science and Engineering at Waseda University. In June
1995 the first schematic report, the "Zhuhai/Haishi Project,"
was submitted to the Zhuhai government. Currently the project is in
the stage of inviting investor participation. Parallel to this, Arata
Isozaki and Associates further developed the conceptual aspects of
the project and presented it at the Venice Architectural Biennale
held in September 1996.
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| The artificial island is located
20 km south of central Zhuhai City and 1.5 km offshore Hang-Qin Island.
The size of the artificial island, Haishi - Mirage City, is approximately
400 hectares. The southern coast of Hang-Qin Island, which directly
faces Mirage City, will be allocated mainly to resort facilities.
To the north a new highway and railroad to Guangzhou will be constructed
in the near future. To the west, approximately 15 km away, is the
new Zhuhai Airport which was recently completed and has been in operation
since June 1995. The new Macao International Airport is under construction
(to be completed in 1996), and located approximately 10 km to the
north-east. It will ensure easy accessibility to the area for tourists
from overseas. The bay area of Luhan island has already become a resort,
with a Westin Hotel, luxury condominiums and golf courses. |
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April 19th to July 13th, 1997 [Finished]
Gallery A