Tekuma | Frenchman Urban Design, LLC wins first place for their future marine city design in Shenzhen China.

SHENZHEN, Guangdong Province, China (November 5, 2018)–  Tekuma | Frenchman Urban Design LLC, founded by MIT Center for Real Estate Director Dennis Frenchman (MArch ’76) and alumni Kun Qian (MSRED/MArch ‘16) and Marwan Aboudib (MSRED/MArch ‘16) has won the Shenzhen New Marine City International Competition in China. The final selection, held in Shenzhen, was made by an international Jury of 9 design professionals and academics.

Competing with 140 international firms,  Tekuma | Frenchman was selected for their innovative proposal entitled “Ocean Edge”. Second and third places were taken by the China Academy of Urban Planning & Design, and AECOM, respectively.  Members of the jury included: Donald Bates, Alejandro Zaera-Polo, Bernard V. Lim, Atsushi Omatsu, Tako Postma, Joseph Scanga, Sun Yimin, Wang Jianguo, and Zhang Yuxing.

The New Marine City is a high-profile urban design and development project, that will host 500,000 people on 5.5 sq. km of newly reclaimed land. The winning scheme, “Ocean Edge” is a city fully integrated with water, set on piers, islands, and autonomous floating structures, located within a regenerated mangrove forest.  Beyond its beauty, the mangrove’s trees will naturally protect the shoreline from wave action, support biodiversity, and help to clean the water.

The centerpiece of the development is a new Marine Research and Technology corridor, dedicated to robotic deep-sea exploration, resource extraction, and other advanced marine industries, with its own port and airport connections.

Visitors and residents will refresh and learn about the sea on a 1.0 km entertainment pier connecting Shenzhen’s massive new convention center with the ocean.  Reminiscent of famous piers in Brighton, UK; Atlantic City, NJ, and, Nice, France, “Marine Pier” will incorporate a ferry dock, deep sea aquarium, theatre, cinemas, clubs, water sports, sea-food restaurants, and specialty retail shops along boardwalks that extend out over the water.

 

About the MIT Center for Real Estate

The MIT Center for Real Estate was founded in 1983 by MIT alumnus, Charles “Hank” Spaulding (CE ’51). A prominent real estate developer, Spaulding had the vision to improve the quality of the built environment and to promote a more informed professional practice in the global real estate industry through teaching, research, and industry interaction. This remains the fundamental mission of the Center.

Educating the men and women whose innovations will serve the industry worldwide, the MIT Center for Real Estate is home to the first one-year Master of Science in Real Estate Development (MSRED) degree, as well as a Professional Certificate program in Real Estate Finance and Development that is attended by industry executives and practitioners world-wide.

Our pioneering research investigates innovations in real estate from initial concept, through design, to financing and investment, providing breakthrough knowledge to help organizations capitalize on today’s emerging markets and new technologies. Uniting industry leaders with MIT’s distinguished researchers and students, our diversified industry partnership program advances the art and science of global real estate, bridging the gap between theory and practice.

 

About Tekuma | Frenchman

Tekuma | Frenchman is an international urban design and innovation office based in Boston, USA with a branch in Dubai opening soon. Building on Professor Dennis Frenchman’s research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his past work, the office is currently involved in many projects across the globe, embracing every scale of intervention – from planning cities for millions in China to art and cultural installations in America. “I believe that what differentiates our firm is that our work goes beyond design,” explains partner Marwan Aboudib.  “The key is our integration of  design with real estate economics and technology.  Our understanding and ability to bring those domains together enables us to create more vibrant cities in which people can excel.  We make it possible for cities to thrive, which creates stronger returns for businesses and residents.”

Some of Frenchman and the firm's notable achievements include design of Seoul Digital Media City in Korea, the Digital Mile in Zaragoza, Spain, Media City: UK in England, Twofour54 in Abu Dhabi, Medellin Innovation District in Colombia, Jinan New District in China and Ciudad Creativa Digital, Guadalajara, Mexico.

 

About Professor Dennis Frenchman

Professor Dennis Frenchman is the Class of 1922 Professor of Urban Design and Planning at MIT, and the Director of the MIT Center for Real Estate. Frenchman’s research and practice focus on city making and the transformation of cities. He has taught and practiced extensively in Asia, Europe, and South America and served as External Advisor on urban livability to the President of the World Bank. A registered architect, he is also founding principal of Tekuma Frenchman Urban Design, LLC along with partners Kun Qian and Marwan Aboudib

He is the author of articles and books on advanced urban design, including Technological Imagination and the Historic City (2008, Ligouri, with William J. Mitchell, et al.). His work has been widely recognized including awards from Progressive Architecture, the American Institute of Architects, and three citations from the American Planning Association for the most outstanding projects in the United States.