Vietnam-based developer Masterise Homes has announced the appointment of Foster + Partners for The Global City masterplan. The practice will serve as architectural advisors of this major project in Ho Chi Minh City.

The Global City will be a “diverse and sophisticated” neighbourhood, integrating a full range of facilities for a future downtown city alongside residential units, explained Foster + Partners. The giga development, located in An Phu ward, Thu Duc city, features excellent connectivity with easy access to highways, major roads and metro lines.

The 117.4-ha masterplan will include high-rise and low-rise apartments, villas and social housing, schools, medical and administration facilities, a 125,000 sq m grade-A shopping mall and other amenities to deliver a sustainable, mixed-use community.

A central green spine and two adjacent waterways run from the northern to the southern boundaries of the site, added Foster + Partners. Each of the five neighbourhoods has “its own distinctive character, which has been developed to meet the needs of the community who live there.”

According to Foster + Partners, the majority of the high-rise residential buildings are located on the central boulevard, which also acts as a large public park where residents and visitors can enjoy riverside views. Pedestrian bridges connect the boulevard with the surrounding neighbourhoods.

The neighbourhoods’ residential buildings are influenced by the “vernacular” of Ho Chi Minh City, said Foster + Partners. The scale and use of materials, including brick and timber, reference local streets and complement the city’s existing palette.

Overall, Foster + Partners highlighted that the masterplan offers many green, breathable spaces such as parks, courtyards and gardens. The development is linked throughout by lush landscaping, creating “serene pedestrian walkways and significantly improving biodiversity, while providing residents with spaces to exercise, gather and socialise.”

All images: Foster + Partners