Reformative Coral Habitat

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.

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, 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 process, manufacturing, deployment, and ageing process of the tiles.

Project Credits:

Robotic Fabrication Lab | Faculty of Architecture | The University of Hong Kong
Christian J. Lange (Team Leader), Lidia Ratoi, Dominic Co Lim, Jason Hu

Swire Institute of Marine Science (SWIMS) | The University of Hong Kong
David M. Baker, Ph.D. (Team Leader), Vriko Yu, Phil Thompson

For further enquiries, please contact Ms. Isabel Wong at isabel.wong@hku.hk

Know more about HKU Architecture Gallery – “Reformative Coral Habitats”
Website: www.arch.hku.hk/ www.arch.hku.hk/event_/reformative-coral-habitats
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