Barry Ball

Editor's Note:

On October 12, the 10th Beijing Central Business District (CBD) International Business Festival opened in Chaoyang district. Seven proposals for expanding the CBD to the east were revealed for the first time. The expanded CBD, which will also be the first low-carbon CBD in the world, will create 150,000 jobs.

The following is an interview by Global Times (GT) reporter Wu Meng with Barry Ball (Ball), chief architect of HKI Ltd., a property development company based in Hongkong and Beijing.

Ball participated in the design of both Hong Kong International Airport and the expansion of Heathrow Airport in London.

GT: It has been 10 years since the Beijing CBD was first founded. What do you think of the current CBD in terms of its contribution to the development of Beijing?

Ball: The origin and purpose of a CBD is to provide a defined, commercially orientated district within an urban area which will concentrate human resources, infrastructure, transport and support services to enable an efficient and convenient business environment.

Normally evolving over a long period of time, the fact that the Beijing CBD is up and running after only 10 years is remarkable in itself, considering all of the other building activities that have been present in the city at the same time.

This could only have been achieved with a strong development master plan and the financial commitment to ensure the supporting infrastructure is in line with the building development.

By defining the Beijing CBD area, land values have risen, encouraging developers to support good architecture with innovative designs and a much higher quality of construction.

In terms of the environment, the influx of Fortune 500 companies flying their carbon footprint flags has certainly put an emphasis on the requirements for green credentials to be assigned to new developments in the CBD, and this will inevitably benefit the built environment for the public.

Perhaps most important is that with the construction of the new CBD, Beijing has demonstrated that it is able to provide an international business environment, with all necessary support infrastructure in place and a world-class airport within 20 minutes travel time from the core area.

GT: Seventy percent of international companies in Beijing already have their headquarters in the CBD. What is the main goal of the expansion?

Ball: In a city the size of Beijing and with China's phenomenal economic growth, I would assume that the forward planning of the city envisages a strong demand on commercial space.

While there is currently an oversupply of commercial space in the city, much of the accommodation does not meet the technical requirements of multinational companies.

The traffic congestion in the area of the current CBD may also encourage the planners to expand the boundary with a supporting public transport infrastructure that may reduce the need for vehicular traffic access.

It also moves the CBD closer to the airport, which has a very positive effect for relocating businesses because in the commercial world, time is money and business travel is national and international.

Another major benefit is the encompassing of Chaoyang Park into the scheme, providing both an amenity for the people working in the CBD and a large open green parkland which will contribute to the air quality of the urban environment.

Carbon footprints were rarely considered by planners when the current CBD was envisaged, however, with the evidence of the effects of climate change so strong, the plan for a carbon neutral development is to be commended. There will always be a market for property whether it is commercial or residential and expansion is inevitable.

However, construction is a major contributor to waste and property cost and a principal consumer of energy, so the goal, in my opinion, is to satisfy market demands in a way that ensures sustainable ongoing development of the city.

GT: The most eye-catching concept of the new plan is the "low-carbon CBD," which will be the first in the world. How do you think it could be achieved and what are the main challenges?

Ball: The Beijing planning authorities are to be highly commended for their vision of the creation of the world's first low carbon urban CBD. This approach should be applied to all major new construction projects as was successfully demonstrated with the Olympic facilities.

There will be a regulatory guideline for all developments, ensuring they comply with current sustainable guidelines, in terms of technical specifications, energy consumption, use of natural resources, water recycling and the provision of human comfort criteria.

There are various recognized international Green Building classification systems in use, and if all of the structures are required to comply with any of these, then that will be a good basis to ensure a sustainable level of development for the CBD.

The government may restrict the use of cars in the extended CBD, as is the case in some other cities where a congestion tax is applied to all private vehicles within a designated zone.

To compensate for this, a highly efficient and convenient public transport system must be in place which has the capacity to handle the daily commute of people in and out of the CBD.

GT: With the implementation of this "low-carbon CBD" concept, how much will the cost of construction increase? By saving energy later, how long will it take to make up for the extra cost?

Ball: The cost of constructing "green buildings" has always been a deterrent for developers due to the length it takes for the costs to be recouped, unless it is an owner-occupied building with direct maintenance cost implications.

However, the technologies involved to produce green buildings have developed significantly in recent years, driven both by market forces and their commercial viability through increased energy costs.

Broadly speaking, there is a marginal increase in construction costs to achieve a green building but with significantly increased energy costs the payback period, which was in the region of 20 years, is now substantially less.

Added to this are the health benefits for occupants, ensuring greater productivity and much reduced sick leave that is the biggest bonus for corporations.

GT: A lot of the expansion programs are focusing on "public space" and "convenient transportation." How can those be achieved while the expansion area is not a wasteland, but rather, an area that is developed and sometimes, crowded?

Ball: I would hope that, as mentioned previously, the public transport system that is designed to support the extended CBD is put in place ahead of the final completion, to facilitate its familiarity and establish its convenience and connectivity to the existing CBD.

It is a large capital investment but will ensure that the car will be, I hope, less desirable as the mode of transport. The ratio of open green area as applied to the current CBD should be satisfactory in providing a comfortable living and working environment.

GT: Is the new expansion designed to stand on its own, or is it mostly a service-orientated supplemental area to the current CBD?

Ball: It will be within the next five to 10 years when the new CBD is built. The current CBD will be well established by that time and therefore it will be vital that the new CBD is recognized as an extension and not a stand-alone district.

The commercial viability will rely on its convenience of access, its connectivity, and most importantly, its visual proximity to its older brother.