The INTEGER partnership approach was extended further when we built a 200-hectare eco town in Kunming, China. INTEGER Kunming started life by hosting collaborative workshops with local stakeholders, and several prototypes were constructed using a range of building materials that could be applied to future housing in Kunming. We developed a community learning centre with an interactive exhibition—this demonstration project became a successful model for collaborative research and technology transfer.

Many new technologies developed in China and overseas were utilised in the project, including a waterless toilet, lightweight prefabricated steel structure housing, and a laminated bamboo structure. Technologies adopted in the prototypes were used extensively when rolled out to mass volume housing developments in the Eco-town. INTEGER Kunming won many awards, was economically successful for the client, and demonstrates that the INTEGER approach is an effective strategy for mainland China.

The INTEGER Kunming project became the first eco-town in southern China, and the first INTEGER project in mainland China. The emphasis is on sustainable lifestyles, environmental protection, and open-platform intelligent technology, setting new standards for housing quality and the use of modern building technologies. The INTEGER Kunming project occupies a naturally vegetated site adjacent to the current International Horticultural Expo, on the north-eastern fringes of Kunming city.

The project comprises four intelligent and green houses and a 2,000 sqm visitor centre on a five-hectare site, conceptually showcasing a vision for the adjacent 255-hectare development of some 2,000 houses. One of the key ambitions of the INTEGER Kunming project is to establish a platform for active research and the evaluation of new technologies in both real-life utilisation and real-time visitor responses. The project will also play an important role in the education of the public, school children, home buyers and real estate developers in raising awareness of environmental issues.

Team:
Architect: The Oval Partnership Ltd
Client / Developer: Yunnan Horti-Expo Xing Yun Real EstateCo Ltd
Project Manager: Yunnan Horti-Expo Xing Yun Real Estate Co Ltd
M & E Consultant: Hyder Consulting Limited 
Structural Engineer: P.Y. Leung & Associates Ltd 
Landscape Consultants: SWA Group
Photography: Kerun Ip