Dominique Perrault Architecture Firm won first prize in the “Industrial Heritage Transformation and Revitalization” competition — an International Master Invitation for Urban Design in the Handan Iron and Steel Area.
The Third Hebei International Urban Planning and Design Competition (Handan) was officially launched on January 16, 2020. It was organized by the Department of Housing and Urban Rural Development of Hebei Province, the Department of Natural Resources of Hebei Province, the People’s Government of Handan City, and the Handan Natural Resources Planning Bureau, with planning and execution led by Urban Environment Design (UED).
Handan is a large city with a permanent population nearing three million. Positioned as the core of the Central Plains region’s economic development, it borders four provinces: Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, and Henan. Known as an important birthplace of Chinese civilization, Handan boasts a rich cultural heritage and substantial development potential. It is also a key industrial base in China’s rapid economic growth.
Handan Iron and Steel Group Co., Ltd. stands as one of the city’s most influential industrial enterprises, witnessing both the city’s and era’s development. Originally located on the city’s outskirts, the Handan Iron and Steel factory area has, over time, become part of the central urban zone. The challenge lies in leveraging this rich industrial heritage to drive its transformation and revitalization, becoming a new growth engine for Handan. This is the core focus of the Handan Iron and Steel Area Urban Design International Master Invitation Competition.
The international competition titled “Industrial Heritage Transformation and Revitalization” seeks to develop a planning blueprint for the Handan Iron and Steel Area’s redevelopment. Covering approximately 8.7 square kilometers, the competition invited six renowned domestic and international design teams:
Dominique Perrault Architecture Firm
Blue Sky Group Office
UNStudio Studio
Academician Cheng Taining’s team
Academician Wang Jianguo’s team
Academician Zhuang Weimin’s team
Handan Green City Declaration
Dominique Perrault’s plan focuses on a flexible, diverse, and scalable urban development strategy. The Handan Iron and Steel area covers about a quarter of the city’s overall land development and includes numerous buildings and significant industrial relics. The existing industrial heritage serves as the foundation for this urban design, emphasizing the site’s geographic identity while guiding planning and functional design.
Rather than imposing standardized design criteria, the proposal encourages organic coexistence and interaction among diverse building elements to foster a harmonious new urban district. The plan centers on transforming and revitalizing industrial heritage by reusing and restoring abandoned railway tracks and rebuilding the area’s rail transit system.
The strategy prioritizes phased development feasibility and incorporates environmental purification measures to address soil pollution. The design highlights four key aspects, establishing a contemporary urban development axis characterized by a multifunctional, adaptable, and scalable city concept:
- Protect and enhance industrial heritage and cultural value: The Heritage Island (L’Île du Patrimoine), composed of old industrial buildings, is transformed into a public space for culture, gathering, and leisure, serving as a cornerstone of the industrial heritage revitalization.
- Enrich landscape design and create new public green spaces: A large-scale landscape park runs through the site, preserving valuable existing trees and using vegetation to aid in industrial soil remediation, thereby increasing land value.
- Optimize and develop existing water resources: The Qin River banks are redesigned and developed, with the river meandering through the site’s interior.
- Establish a multifunctional, interconnected, and flexible urban planning system: Based on Dominique Perrault’s H ô tel M é tropole planning theory, this system fosters dynamic urban growth.
Dominique Perrault’s proposal offers a comprehensive, refined, and adaptable planning tool designed to accommodate future multifunctional mixed-use development. The plan redefines the neighborhood’s new identity with organic integration into the existing urban fabric and environment, creating new landmarks and urban spaces that blend with the surrounding scale.
The planned architectural complex aims to preserve and enhance the industrial heritage’s value, while fostering a multifunctional hybrid district. The ultimate goal is to achieve an organic and harmonious balance between urban life and the natural landscape through varied spatial densities in the newly developed communities.
The “Boîte à outils” urban planning strategy emphasizes adaptability and iterative evolution. It revitalizes the rigid urban system of the 20th century, which, while focused on strict urban and functional planning, lacked flexibility for future change. The Handan Iron and Steel Area’s future blueprint aims to provide strong growth momentum for the city and serve as a 21st-century urban development model.
Project Details:
· Location: East Zone of Handan Iron and Steel Group, Handan, China
· Conceptual Planning and Design Area: 8.66 square kilometers
· Core Urban Design Area: 1.0 square kilometer
· Owners:
– Hebei Provincial Department of Housing and Urban Rural Development
– Hebei Provincial Department of Natural Resources
– Handan Municipal Government
– Handan Natural Resources and Planning Bureau
· Planning and Execution: Urban Environment Design (UED) Magazine
About Dominique Perrault Architects
Born in 1953, Dominique Perrault is a leading figure in contemporary French architecture. He graduated from the École Normale Supérieure in Paris with a diploma in architecture and holds an advanced diploma in urban planning from the same institution. Perrault established his architectural firm in Paris in 1981.
His career took off after winning the 1989 French National Library International Competition at age 36, which was completed in 1995. This project launched his international reputation. Since then, Perrault & Associates have completed numerous major public projects worldwide, including:
- Berlin Olympic Cycling and Swimming Pool, Germany (1999)
- Ewha Women’s University, Seoul, South Korea (2008)
- Fuguo Building, Osaka, Japan (2010)
- Expansion of the Court of Justice of the European Communities, Luxembourg (2008–2019)
In 2016, the firm completed the Danube New Town Twin Towers in Vienna, Austria, one of which has become a landmark in Vienna’s commercial district. At the same time, they renovated the Dufour Pavilion at the Palace of Versailles, unveiled in spring 2016. Other notable projects include the 2018 Paris Longchamp Racecourse renovation and the Louvre Post Office renovation in Paris.
Currently, Dominique Perrault Architects are working on major projects such as the 2024 Paris Olympic Village, the Seoul Gangnam International Center Transport Hub (expected 2023), and an iconic metro station in the Jewish Quarter of France (expected 2025).
Perrault’s recent work consistently reflects a deep interest in architectural urban heritage. In 2016, he collaborated with Philippe Bélaval, President of the French National Heritage Center, on the 2040 Future Revitalization Plan for Île de la Cité in Paris, commissioned by then-President François Hollande. Following the 2019 Notre Dame Cathedral fire, their work aims to inject new energy into the preservation and renewal of this historic Parisian district.
Dominique Perrault has received numerous international awards, including the 1997 Mies van der Rohe Pavilion Award for the French National Library, the 2010 Grand Médaille d’Or from the French Academy of Architecture, and the 2015 Praemium Imperiale Lifetime Achievement Award in Architecture from Japan’s World Culture Award. In 2019, he was appointed President of the 2021 Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism.
Project Information
Project Name: Handan Green City Declaration
Project Type: International Competition
Award: First Prize
Location: Handan City, Hebei Province, China, Handan Iron and Steel Zone
Owners: Hebei Provincial Department of Housing and Urban Rural Development, Hebei Provincial Department of Natural Resources, Handan Municipal Government, Handan Municipal Bureau of Natural Resources and Planning
Status: Urban Planning and Design Proposal
Design Period: January 2020 – July 2020
Design Firm: Dominique Perrault Architects
Website: www.perraultarchitecture.com
Lead Architect: Dominique Perrault
Design Team Members (alphabetical by last name): Camille Abeille, Augustin Bourgeois, Anastasia Delinasio, Bernardo Grilli, Marcela Garcia, Nanako Ishizuka, Richard Nguyen, Giulia Pace, Julien Pringuet, Enrico Salvo, Ernesto Urquizar, Shenglin Yang
Scope: Conceptual planning and design covers 8.66 square kilometers; core urban design covers 1.0 square kilometer.
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