Skidmore, Owings Brings Green to Tech City in Vietnam

By Veronica Grecu, Associate Editor

Da Nang City, Vietnam–A new master plan for a green city situated on the edge of the Danang in Vietnam has been unveiled by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill L.L.P. The Green Tech City plan has been commissioned by FPT Corp., a growing national IT and telecommunications company, for its employees and families. It covers an area of more than 180 hectares (about 445 acres) that will accommodate an estimated 30,000 residents.

The master plan includes a series of distinct districts, such as the Town Center and the Business District, as well as a number of residential neighborhoods. The city will also have a new University Campus for its own FPT University, specializing in information technology, software development and e-services, in addition to a research institute and a training center where FPT employees can develop and put into practice new technology.

As the development’s central theme is water, one of the key features at the heart of the Town Center is a riverfront harbor at a civic piazza, establishing a vibrant meeting space for this new tech community. Nature and community connect through green spaces in this development whose design is based on the local cultural landscape and urban heritage. The future urban population will benefit from a unique landscape setting and community amenities such as schools, healthcare clinics, sports and other public facilities, all of which will be easily accessed via shaded streets. A wide network of smart infrastructure will complement the city’s web of natural greenways, as FPT will provide advanced communications and information technology to every business and household in the community.

SOM’s master plan is largely based on the cultural landscape and urban heritage of Da Nang. The area’s local green character is reinforced by widespread linear greenways having that provide both recreation and storm water management. A park system will help manage flood control, preventing rainwater from getting into surrounding areas. The park system will also filter and clean greywater, which will then be used for irrigating future green spaces in the city.

A web of greenways will connect the city’s residential areas to the riverfront, and all public spaces will be placed in the center of each district and neighborhood. All FPT’s employees, as well as their families, and students will be just a few steps away from the shaded green spaces.