The process of sedimentation is a unique force that singularly shapes the delicate balance of ecologies in the Deep Bay. Although sedimentation occurs naturally, the process has accelerated in recent years due to activities such as rapid urbanization, land reclamation, and other infrastructural projects such as the straightening of the Shenzhen River. Increase in sediment in the Deep Bay reduces its capacity to mediate storm water and increases the risk of flooding in adjacent areas. It also nurtures excessive growth of mangroves around the fringes of the coastline and blocks flood runoff to the sea. If the sedimentation process continues without mitigation, the productive economies and critical urban areas in Hong Kong and Shenzhen would be threatened by increased flooding.

We propose to redirect sedimentation in the bay, by influencing the direction of water current as well as sedimentation patterns. Using principles of hydrodynamics, the project simultaneously limits excessive sediment accumulation in the Bay, while harvesting sediment to create a new local lifestyle economy. It also aims to induce mangrove growths at strategic locations to protect against future storm surges.

Symphony of Blades brings life to infrastructure; proposing industry, education and lifestyle programming amidst a sequence of sediment-manipulating blades at the mouth of the Deep Bay. The coupling of infrastructure and other urban functions fosters a greater awareness about environmental processes. While the blades harvest excess sediment in the Deep Bay, programs such as a sediment-brick factory, energy plant, fertilizer plant and facial mud mask factory, make use of the extra resource of sediment in the Deep Bay to serve various industrial activities which benefit the local community and economy, complimenting the vision of a “sediment-relevant” infrastructural experience.

 

Team Leader:	Vincci Mak ( Division of Landscape Architecture, HKU)
Team Members:	Casey Wang ( OMA ), Manfred Yuen (YS Groundwork: Architecture+Urbanism)
Consultants:	John Allcock (Asia Ecological Consultants Ltd.), Terence Fong( ERM), Dr. Frederick Lee ( Department of Geography, HKU), Dr. Michael Leven (Asia Ecological Consultants Ltd.), Dr. C N Ng ( Department of Geography, HKU), Edward Qiang Shen ( Arup)
Research Assistants and Design Assistants:	Violette Yi Ping Chen, Dennis Kam Fung Liu, Kevin Chun Kit So, Tracy Xiao Qian Yang, Chris Qian Zhang