Stunning leisure project in China’s richest city

A new central leisure area will soon be coming up in Karamay, China’s richest city based on GDP per capita. The Donghu central leisure area project designed by consulting firm Atkins will feature landscaped scenic parkland with facilities such as a waterside climbing wall and white water rafting, alongside a lake with boating berths and a single span bridge.

The work, commissioned by the Karamay Construction Bureau, is Atkins’ biggest and most complex multidisciplinary project on the Chinese mainland to date due to the scale and the design challenge.

The local temperatures that range from around -30 degrees Celcius in the winter to over 42 degrees Celcius in the summer have posed a challenge for construction planners and designers.

On completion, the park, which covers an area of 3.41 sq km, will be the primary location for leisure in Karamay city, with a signature bridge sitting alongside a 1.8 sq km lake which connects the future central business district with the city centre.

The area is hugely important to the future development of Karamay, which boasts the highest GDP per capita in China due to its connection with one of the country’s biggest oil fields.

Founded 50 years ago, Karamay has a population of 400,000 people and the ambition is to double that by 2050 by encouraging in the engineering and automotive industries, complementing those in nearby Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang province.

As well as being Atkins’ largest multidisciplinary project ever commissioned on the Chinese mainland, it is also the company’s first bridge design commission.

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