Knowledge creation and transfer in integrated urban design: the case of Arup’s ecocity business Andrew Davies co-authors Lars Frederiksen & William Wu Innovation & Entrepreneurship Group Understanding Projects: CRMP Seminar Series Wednesday 8 th December 2010
Overview • Empirical context • Theory and methods • Findings and analysis: renew, reuse and reinforce
Challenge: Climate change and Chinese cities “China is searching for novel ways to expand urban areas while conserving natural resources”, • Science, 2008 “China’s current development is ecologically unsustainable, and the damage will not be • reversible once higher GDP has been achieved”, Zhenhua Xie, Minister of State Environmental Protection Agency
Rapid Chinese urbanisation China’s urban population is expected to reach 1.12bn people by 2050 600m people are expected move from rural to urban areas by 2050
Response to these challenges: ecocity experiments • Ecocity - radically new form of urban design New build and new build/retrofit projects • Promote sustainable living and low carbon society • Less use of non-renewable resources • Adapt to climate change • • Pioneering projects Dongtan in China • Masdar in Abu Dhabi • • Subsequent projects Thames Gateway and ecotowns in the UK •
Masdar – Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Designed by Fosters & Partners
Dongtan – near Shanghai, China Designed by Arup
Dongtan – a vision of the urban low carbon future "Dongtan was a rare chance to demonstrate that growth could happen a different way.” Lead planner Alejandro Gutierrez, Arup, Wired 2007 “This city will become a showpiece for the rest of the world. With London set to grow so much, the methods we use in Dongtan will become extremely relevant to London.” Peter Head, Dongtan Project Director, Arup 2007
Connected to Shanghai by bridge, tunnel & subway system
Dongtan ecocity – key objectives and features Project stakeholders • Client: Shanghai Industrial • Investment Corporation (SIIC) Consultant masterplanner : Arup • (UK design consultancy) Project goals: • Sustainable ‘demonstrator city’ – cutting • carbon emissions shapes urban design 45 min travel time to central Shanghai • Population 500,000 in 2050 • Site: 84 square km • 3 distinct villages amid parkland and • canals Population density similar to London •
A strategic project for China and the UK November 2005 – Arup sign • MoU with President Hu Jin Tao & PM Tony Blair April 2007 – Deputy PM John • Prescott visits Dongtan site September 2007 – Arup, HSBC • present to PM Gordon Brown and China Task Force SIIC, Arup, HSBC, Tongji • University sign MoU – PM Gordon Brown & Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng
Key milestones in design project phase • January-August – Arup team • August – SIIC approves Arup’s • January – Arup deliver final prepare clear & detailed scope of masterplan (project delivered in documents delivered to SIIC. work for Dongtan design 13 months) Project ready to move to ‘construction’ phase • August – SIIC appoints Arup to • September – Arup issues develop the Dongtan Masterplan ‘Control Plan for Start-Up Area’. • April – Arup’s co-located project Final masterplan & main in SIIC premises is closed and • October – Arup presents planning application document team members move back to Dongtan design and client Arup Shanghai office requests 100% local renewable • December – Arup issues energy sources from start ‘Sustainability Guidelines’ – objectives, indicators and • November - Arup signs contract requirements for buildings, with SIIC work on 3 other ecocity infrastructure & public space projects in China • December – Arup issues 1 st ‘Design Report for the Start-Up Area’. Sustainability strategies & urban vision for start-up area 2005 2006 2007
Dontang masterplan deliveries • Masterplan documents delivered in January 2007 • 1. Implementation plan • 2. Design & sustainability guidelines • Documents address • Procurement, delivery and financing model • Performance specification for design, construction and operation of ecocity over 30 years • Design phase completed and the project is ready for construction phase
Outcome of Arup’s design project Project delivered 3 months early • Design meets request for “close” to 100% zero carbon solution • • Large wind farm generates green electricity • Power utility burning rice husks (locally produced food) • Solar power • Walking biking city with zero emission vehicles – hydrogen & electric • Buildings 4-8 stories tall to improve density and minimise sprawl • Only 10% waste ends up in landfill Uses proven technology to reduce risks • • Innovation lies in the integration of technology and environment, cultural and social components ‘Dongtan is not a rigid blueprint for a city for the future’…other • projects must be guided by unique local environment (Peter Head, Arup)
Dongtan site – October 2007 – still a wetland
Overview • Empirical context • Theory and methods • Findings and analysis: renew, reuse and reinforce
Research motivation: managing innovation in projects New performance requirements for • cities: zero-carbon and sustainability objectives - experiments Initiated by ‘vanguard projects’ (Brady • New new & Davies, 2004, Organization projects Studies) Technology base How is knowledge created and • combined in a vanguard project in a • Business as usual existing new market? • Traditional project New projects capabilities How is knowledge transferred from a • vanguard project to the next project? existing new Market base Davies & Hobday, The Business of Projects, Cambridge University Press, (2005)
Capability development through innovative projects A capability is the appropriate knowledge, skills and experience to • perform a set of specialized industrial activities • “…the discovery and estimation of future wants, to research, development and design, to the execution and co-ordination of processes of physical transformation, the marketing of goods and so on. (Richardson 1972)” • These activities create a competitive advantage Capabilities are developed through knowledge integration and • transfer (Grant 1996) Yet, we know relatively little about the process through with this is • done in terms of: • The role of key individuals in vanguard and future projects • The wider role of managing external institutions and stakeholders to support the new projects
Research design and methods • Inductive research based on a case study World’s first ecocity design – rare case (Siggelkow, 2007) • • Process study – January 2007 to June 2010 • > 60 interviews (snowballed sample: cross functional, cross-hierarchy but mainly managerial level involved in Dongtan: Arup, SIIC, Chongming Island local authorities, SDCL (Sustainable Capital investor), HSBC bank) • 3 visits to Dongtan site • Experienced the Shanghai project office and client office • Primary source documents (internal presentations, reports, diagrams and material for project bid and external public documents) • 2 workshops for validation and further specification of findings – in China and UK • Non-participant observation in Arup office - London and Shanghai; Dongtan Project office in Shanghai • Data analysis • Open coding (manually) then axial and selective coding in Nvivo
Capabilities: renewal, reuse, replication Reinforce Internal/external Renew Reuse Incremental/radical Tacit/Explicit
Overview • Empirical context • Theory and methods • Findings and analysis: renew, reuse and reinforce
Renewal: Dongtan as a vanguard project ‘Normally we would never do a project ‘Dongtan is the next like Dongtan – it is too risky and too big. Sidney Opera house However, this was a rare opportunity for for Arup in terms of us to show leadership and learn…. importance’ Taking on large projects is the way we B. Morera, Urban learn in this business of projects’ designer, Arup, 2008 John Miles, Arup Board, 2009
Renewal: innovation in urban design projects ‘Renewal’ – build competitive advantage by developing project • capabilities in new categories of projects (Brady & Davies, 2004; Shamsie et al, 2009) Challenge: create innovative approach to deliver Dongtan project • • Learning from Arup’s previous projects (e.g. BedZed low carbon development) New concept of multi-functional project team called ‘total serial • innovation’ (Peter Head, Arup) • ‘Integrated Urbanism’ project team led by architects • 30 specialists each with a team of 3-4 members in matrix structure • New position: Cultural Planner • Developed new tools on the project to support integrated urban design
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