AFTER more than 10 years of development, Changfeng area has been converted from a bleak industrial zone into a modern service industry hub with a great balance of water, greenery and buildings.

The 2.2-square-kilometer Changfeng Ecological Business Park is bonded by Changfeng Park in the east, Suzhou Creek in the south, Jinshajiang Road in the north and the Middle Ring Road and Zhenbei Road in the west.

The area used to be the most heavily industrialized zone along Suzhou Creek, occupied by more than 100 chemical and mechanical factories. Over the decades, many factories closed and old workshops and warehouses were left vacant in the area, officials said.

In 2002, however, Putuo's government invited US company NBBJ to map out how the area could be converted into a mixed community with business, trade, tourism, entertainment and apartment buildings. Public greenery, roads and other infrastructure were built.

According to the plans, Changfeng was to be occupied by business offices, 830,000 square meters for homes and 300,000 for public supporting facilities.

The business park adopted ecological building technologies such as LED, breathing curtains, ice storage systems and rain water recycling systems.

International energy management provider Schneider Electric is not only locating its headquarters here, but also used its expertise to reconstruct Changfeng Tower's energy system to save more than 2 million yuan (US$306,640) in annual costs.

Some old factories were turned into trademark exhibition halls, a yacht pavilion and the Jacky Chan Film Gallery.

The business park's successful conversion has won the National Model Prize for Residential Environment in 2014, the highest domestic honor for habitat environment construction.