Super-Hydro-City!

Climate Change Phenomenon
Rapid sea level rise is imminent. In 2050, the bay of Shenzhen city will be partially submerged, and our urban platform will gradually diminish. Additionally, Shenzhen is still undergoing a consistent population growth, resulting in higher density. How can we address this problem within our urban fabric? In our proposed city, roads will disappear, and the traffic of private cars will be transformed into air, sea and gondola transportation.
Hydro Architecture
Super-Hydro-City seeks to explore the possibility of introducing water as a new element of building typology to combat rising sea levels and buildings as infrastructural systems to increase urban mobility. These are proposed and explored through the design of exo-skeletal framework structure. Excess sea water will be pumped up, desalinated and redistributed into the different pockets of water bodies in the building through the exo-skeleton facade.
Potential Energy
The water bodies at differing heights in the tower are designed as a device for potential energy storage and release system through the use of the hydro-pump and hydro-generator. These energy would be supplied back to the existing urban infrastructural grid. Apart from the existing inner building structural cores, the exo-skeleton seeks to promote structural stability by bracing, supporting and reinforcing the building due to the high-density water load.
Thermal Mass & Sustainability
Water is an excellent thermal mass that could absorb thermal energy within the building during the hot summer days, thus significantly reducing the cost of air conditioning in the towers. The buildings are inter-connected by sky-garden pedestrian bridges that act as a green ecology system where rain water can be used to collect for grey water harvesting and irrigation.
Gondola Mobility
By implementing a ‘gondola system’ through electromagnetic levitation on the surface of the exo-skeleton, the entire city’s traffic can be reorganised, re-gravitated, even levitated, forming enriched interconnections between all modes of transportation. The gondolas are designed to move freely, horizontally and vertically along the exo skeleton.

Shenzhen Bay Speculative Project

Design: Chester WL Goh, Shukwan Tung, Yuhan Hong
Supervisors: Yan Gao, Peter Russell, Louise Holloway

Super-Hydro-City! by Chester Goh in China won the WA Award Cycle 40. Please find below the WA Award poster for this project.