Shanghai to have riverside 'twin hills' at Expo site in Pudong
The smart construction site for the twin hills of the Expo Culture Park in Pudong along the Huangpu River.
Construction is on in full swing on the landmark "twin hills" at the future Expo Culture Park in the Pudong New Area, which will become China's first artificial mountains rising above 40 meters.
The two 48-meter-tall hills are key attractions in the southeast of the park at the former site of the World Expo 2010 along the Huangpu River.
The hills will have nine peaks, three streams and multiple waterfalls to simulate a natural mountain forest. Some 6,000 piles have been installed to create the swelling terrain, according to the Shanghai Construction Group, the main constructor.
The hills are being created with a steel and concrete structure covered by soil and plantations. Over 30,000 tons of steel and concrete will be used to make it the biggest steel-and-concrete compound in China.
To ensure smooth construction and safety amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the group has applied a wide range of smart technologies at the construction site.
An artistic rendition of the hills at the Expo Culture Park.
They include a smart fence that will send alarms in case of safety risks, smart surveillance cameras installed on cranes and artificial intelligence system to guide the construction process.
QR codes and ID have been created for each facility on the site to make them safe, visible, smart and traceable, said an official with the group.
About 200 officials, experts and construction industry insiders visited the smart facilities and system on Monday to promote the smart construction site citywide.
The Expo Culture Park, covering 1.88 square kilometers along the river, is designed to become "an ecological natural forest park incorporating new cultural landmarks," such as an opera house and a world-class conservatory garden, the city's top planning body has said.
The strip-shaped riverside park will be open to the public for free. It will cover an area from Lupu Bridge to Longbing Road in Pudong, right opposite West Bund in Xuhui District.
A smart management system for the twin hills project.
The World Expo 2010 pavilions of Italy, France, Russia and Luxembourg remain in the park. They have been redesigned and renovated to preserve the cultural legacy of the Expo.
The planned Shanghai Grand Opera House in the park will take up 79,300 square meters, while the conservatory garden will occupy up to 30,000 square meters.
The conservatory will be built on a hill and will showcase the plants and vegetation that exist in frozen, hot and desert climates.
As a highlight, there will also be a "colorful" forest of 18,000 arbor trees of various species on the hills. The forest, including 750 existing trees, will display different seasonal colors. Among them, trees with yellow and red leaves will take up an area of 76,000 square meters. It is being designed to become the best sightseeing spot during spring and autumn.
An artistic rendition of the colorful forest in spring (top) and autumn.
An artistic rendition of the hills at the Expo Culture Park.
