Foster + Partners, together with PHA and Mobility in Chain, has won an international competition to design the masterplan for the expansion of the Incheon Free Economic Zone, South Korea. The project aims to create a ‘self sufficient and sustainable’ development for a population of up to 350,000 residents and commuters.
The mixed use scheme aims to turn Incheon into a national centre for sustainable industry and will be phased over 10 – 15 years. Technologies employed in the masterplan will include biomass energy generation, the use of hydrogen fuel cells and hydroponic roofs. The masterplan will eventually connect North and South Korea via the world’s longest bridge.
Grant Brooker, a design director at Foster + Partners, said: “Working at a very strategic level, we saw the masterplan as an opportunity to explore the sustainable potential of this extraordinary island, exploiting its pivotal position close to Seoul and its rugged landscape. We are delighted that the judges share our vision and, along with our collaborators at A+U, PHA and MIC, we hope to develop the project into the next stage.”