Archive for January 3rd, 2021

“Upcoming: Reformative Coral Habitats” show @ PMQ

Sunday, January 3rd, 2021

Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park is a local biodiversity hotspot accounting for more than three-quarters of reef-building corals in Hong Kong and more than 120 fish species. However, in recent years, gradual deterioration of the coral habitat, a process known as bioerosion, coupled with coral bleaching and mass mortality events in 2015-2016, are putting the future of the coral community at risk. In view of this, a team of HKU architects and marine scientists has developed a series of reformative 3D printed terracotta reef-structures intended to aid coral restoration by providing structurally complex substrates at the degraded areas.

Christian J. Lange, autobryks3D, 3d printing, robotic fabrication, coral reef, artificial coral reef, coral restoration, terracotta architecture, 3d printe reefs, Hong Kong, clay printing

The design and production of the hundred and twenty-eight 3D printed reef tiles were executed in the Robotic Fabrication Lab of the Faculty of Architecture at HKU. Covering roughly 40 sq. meters in total, the tiles were deployed in selected sites in the marine park in July 2020. The experiment will be closely monitored by marine scientists and researchers for the next one and half years.

The project is commissioned by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) and is part of an ongoing active management measure for coral restoration in Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park in Hong Kong.

This exhibition reveals the design concepts , manufacturing process, deployment, and ageing process of the tiles.​

Date: 11-Jan-2021 – 31-Jan-2021, 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
Venue: S507, 5/F, Staunton (Block A), PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central, Hong Kong