On August 8, the Phase I South Building of the initial Baowu Special Steel project was officially put into use. As the former Baosteel Special Metals Co., Ltd. acquires a completely new outlook, R&D institutes and other innovation organizations have settled here as the “intelligent engine” for a green and low-carbon approach to Wusong Innovation City. In the future, with more leading enterprises settling and various application scenarios, the area will become the “trial field” for more green and low-carbon innovation entities.

The three towering chimneys on the L-shaped steel mill is renovated with a novel design, respectively representing the past, the present, and the future

Multifunctional Space: A tropical rainforest-style sci-tech innovation ecosystem

The three chimneys of Baosteel Special Metals Co., Ltd. are the landmark that can be seen on the Tongji Elevated Road. In fact, the old industrial area is not far away from here.

In the design of Wusong Innovation City, there was a heated discussion on whether to keep the shape and structure of Baosteel Special Metals Co., Ltd. “This land is so valuable.” the relevant person in charge of Baoshan District said. The area of one square kilometer of the special steel project is sandwiched in between the Baoyang Road Metro Station and Youyi Road Metro Station, surrounded by the Yixian Elevated Road. It really boasts unique location advantages among the city’s large areas to be rebuilt.

If tall building are built here, the area is bound to produce more economic benefits in a short time but it may damage the historical heritage of the old industrial area. For Baoshan, the old factories are not a burden but can accommodate more innovative business forms. In the construction, the L-shaped soaking pit mill was reconstructed in the Phase I South Building project, with some concrete columns and pile foundations preserved. Even inside the building, you can still feel the industrial style, and it feels like standing in the heat of the steel. In the future, the large factory will accommodate more innovative entities. Apart from the R&D institutes such as Baowu Central Authority Research Institute and incubators, the factory has reserved space for large and medium-sized enterprises to build their separate office buildings. This will create a tropical rainforest-style sci-tech innovation ecosystem and help innovation entities to grow and prosper.

Green Industry: Pilot program on carbon emissions trading

Industrial transformation is the core of the “Northward Transformation”. The transformation of the old factory will ultimately serve the regional development. Leading industries such as new materials, new hardware, and new economy will become key fields of Wusong Innovation City.

The relevant person in charge said that the initial Baowu Special Steel project is a part of Baowu (Shanghai) Carbon Neutrality Industrial Park. In the future, several green and low-carbon research institutes of Baowu Central Authority Research Institute will settle here and actively explore new green and low-carbon fields such as carbon emissions trading and carbon inclusion.

Rendering of Wenzaobang River Banks

Rendering of TOD Innovative Complex, the Initial Baowu Special Steel Project

Not long ago, Baowu officially launched its carbon asset management platform. By the end of 2022, the platform is planned to include 31 enterprises to control carbon emissions and reduce emissions volume of over 100 million tons. Supported by China Baowu Steel Group, upstream and downstream SMEs have various application scenarios. For example, for an innovative enterprise that monitors exhaust emissions, its market value has jumped from hundreds of thousands of RMB to tens of millions of RMB by working with China Baowu Steel Group to improve the sensitivity of monitoring equipment. “Unlike Internet companies that compete through business models, the entities depend more on who gets more orders from the leading enterprises.” The relevant person in charge said that Baowu Group’s production involves hundreds of links. As long as innovative entities can accurately enter the segmented market, they can get key “big orders”, which can to ease their growing pain.

In the future, relying on the Baowu (Shanghai) Carbon Neutrality Industrial Park, Wusong Innovation City is expected to establish various demonstration pilots of green development, promote energy saving and carbon emissions reduction, achieve efficient allocation of resources, build a green low-carbon and recycling economic system to improve its urban functions and core competitiveness.

Convenient Traffic: A slow transportation system with different elevations

The ultimate goal is to realize the optimal allocation of population, land, and other resources and to reshape the spatial structure of the area by a convenient transportation system and a new green and low-carbon approach to industrial development.

Rendering of Future Harbor of Wusong Innovation City

In talent attraction, the transformation zones, including Wusong Innovation City and Nanda Digital City, provide preferential policies comparable to the five new cities for talents to settle. In order to better implement the policies, Baoshan District has accelerated the construction of its Sci-Tech Innovation Talent Hub. In the future, the administrative service center of Baoshan District Human Resource and Social Security Bureau will also settle in the Phase I of the initial Baowu Special Steel project . “It aims to retain both sci-tech innovation enterprises and talents in Baoshan.” said the relevant person in charge of Shanghai Wusong Development and Construction Co., Ltd.

Putting people first, Wusong Innovation City endeavors to create small, livable neighborhoods. For example, for the initial Baowu Special Steel project, a number of roads originally designed for production will be further widened and transformed into municipal roads open to the whole society. As a result, a slow transportation system with different levels and a storied structure is built. From the designer’s point of view, the traffic system enhances communication and exchanges among people rather than just connecting roads and buildings. “If everyone can meet each other without crossing the street or waiting at red lights, they are more willing to communicate.”