First prize in global design competition for Mongolia’s Hunnu City
Atelier Ten and Robert Bird Group have contributed to the winning proposal in the international design competition for Hunnu City, Mongolia. The team was led by French architecture firm Bechu & Associés, with partners from France, Italy, Canada and the United Kingdom. The competition attracted 43 teams from 21 countries, challenging participants to envision a future city that harmonises with its cultural and ecological context.
Located approximately 50 kilometres south of Ulaanbaatar, near Chinggis Khaan International Airport, Hunnu City is envisaged as a new economic hub and extension of the growing capital. The city is planned across 31,501 hectares, anticipating up to 150,000 residents and around 80,000 new jobs, directly supporting Mongolia’s long term development policy, Vision 2050.
The winning master plan is organised around nine regenerative pillars, which underpin a constellation of Amid Od, or “stars of life”, inspired by the traditional Mongolian “ger” dwelling. Each Amid Od is a cultural, social, food and energy hub, providing a focal point for a fifteen-minute city and a place of refuge during extreme weather events. Density and diversity concentrate around these centres, then gradually soften into gardens, productive landscapes and the steppe beyond. This cellular gradient allows Hunnu City to adapt over time while keeping people close to services, work and nature.
The master plan is designed to emerge from its environment. Drawing inspiration from the rhythms and intelligence of the Mongolian steppe ecosystem, the team adopted a Living Story approach, listening to the land’s narrative and embracing natural constraints presented by ecology, climate, topography and hydrology.
Within this framework, Atelier Ten defined the city’s sustainability systems and utilities infrastructure. Every district is envisaged to produce renewable energy, recycling water locally and support sharing resources within communities and low carbon lifestyles. This is underpinned by an all-electric, net zero ready energy network, water balanced drainage and a circular approach to waste and water that includes waste to energy, composting and material recovery streams. Natural succession planting establishes the conditions for long term soil regeneration, health and stable ecological services, while the water strategy is designed to strengthen, rather than burden, the region’s vulnerable hydrological system.
Robert Bird Group worked alongside the team on structural and civil infrastructure strategies so that proposed resource loops and district systems follow the watershed and landform, while respecting seismic conditions and the practical realities of construction in a harsh continental climate. Roads, public transport and utilities are planned as a single system alongside green corridors and canals, including a multi scale BRT network and shared streets that prioritise people over cars.
Reflecting on the competition, Atelier Ten’s Director of Sustainability and Environmental Design, Ivan Jovanovic said “Our expertise in regenerative environmental design shaped the foundation of Hunnu City’s concept. We focused on creating synergetic systems for energy, water, and waste that work with each other, natural processes and local conditions. This approach demonstrates how cities can be planned for symbiosis between nature and people to restore ecological health, cultural identity, and deliver resilience for future generations”.
Both Atelier Ten and Robert Bird Group are member companies of SJ Group, whose global network brings together multi-disciplinary expertise to address complex urban challenges.
Atelier Ten, Director of Regenerative Design, Dr Jamie Miller said “Hunnu City shows what becomes possible when we let nature lead and when diverse expertise comes together with an aligned purpose. Through our combined strengths in biomimicry, regenerative thinking, and environmental design, we shaped a vision that supports both people and the land. Hearing the judges say they felt truly heard through our Living Story approach was deeply meaningful and a powerful testament to our process. I’m incredibly proud of what this team achieved together.”
The full international team behind the winning proposal includes:
- Bechu & Associés (France), Design leader, Architecture & Urban Planning
- Atelier Ten (UK), Regenerative Design, Environmental Design, Biomimicry and Utilities Infrastructure
- Robert Bird Group (UK), Civil, Geotechnical and Structural Engineering
- SOA Architecture (Italie), Associate firm, Architecture
- IQP Italdesign (Mongolia), Associate firm, Architecture MIC-Hub (Italie), Mobility
- Parc Nouveau (Italie), Landscape
- Future Food Institute (Italie), Food systems transition
- Embix (France), Smart-grid and energy
- The Climate Company (France), Climate modelling and adaptation