Canton First Estate

Developed by New World China Land Limited (NWCL), Canton First Estate is a mixed-use development situated at the Guangzhou-Foshan region. The project covers a site area of about 300 hectares and features low-density residences, a golf club, exhibition centre, multipurpose clubhouse and a park.

SPONGE CITY COMMUNITY
The project seeks to increase its resilience to extreme climate conditions such as flooding and water shortage. To create a sponge city community, water permeation, water detention, storage as well as purification technologies and designs are used to utilise water resources.

A sponge city is a rainwater and flood management concept that aims to absorb, store, seep and purify rainwater in order to utilise water resources and improve a city’s resilience to flooding and water shortage. In October 2015, the General Office of the State Council of People’s Republic of China released guidelines to develop and promote the construction of sponge cities to minimise ecological impacts associated with urban development. In 2016, 14 cities were selected as pilot sponge cities.

Prior to development, lakes within Canton First Estate were heavily polluted by agricultural runoffs and were prone to droughts and floods due to soil erosion. Through water permeation, detention, water storage and purification design strategies, the site’s rainwater run-off has been successfully mitigated, which has enhanced its ecological value. The rainwater management strategies adopted in this project include:
• Preservation of 47 hectares of natural forest area to increase water permeation.
• Installation of bioswales to increase water catchment rate.
• Connection of 35 scattered natural lakes to create a water circulation system with 1.1 million cubic metres of storage capacity.
• The use of water purification technology, including floating islands as well as artificial and natural wetlands. Purified rainwater attains surface water quality class III to IV of the National Standards of the People’s Republic of China and is capable to fully meet the irrigation demands of the golf course.
• Improving the climate resilience of the site to handle a 50-year rainstorm event.

The development is located within close proximity to public transportation. With the development of the Guangzhou-Foshan Metro and the construction of Foshan West Station of the high-speed train, Canton First Estate will be situated in one of the transportation hubs between the two cities. With alternative means of transportation, residents will be able to reduce their carbon footprint to create a healthier and more eco-sensitive community.

The developer endeavours to educate its residents, visitors and the public on the sustainability efforts adopted. An Environmental Demonstration Park was built to showcase the project’s use of Green building technologies. The Canton International House is a four-storey Green building with two basement levels that provide facilities such as indoor and outdoor swimming pools; a gymnasium; a children’s playground; multifunctional halls; and restaurants. The project has attained a three-star certification from China’s evaluation standard for Green buildings and is currently obtaining US LEED Certification under the New Construction category. Some of the building’s eco-friendly strategies include applying materials carefully to increase energy efficiency; installing 152 square metres of solar panels to provide hot water for the vicinity; fitting double-glazed low-E glass to windows and curtain walls to minimise solar heat gain; installing green roofs to minimise urban heat island effect; sorting food waste to recycle; and treating up to 104 tonnes of kitchen waste per year. The Canton International House has received several awards and citations for its initiatives.