
Flatiron ver. Bee
Team
Name: Gervas, Tai
Nationality: Hong Kong, Chinese
Institution / Company: The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Name: Stephanie, Wong
Nationality: Hong Kong, Chinese
Institution / Company: The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Name: Pak Wai, Ling
Nationality: Hong Kong, Chinese
Institution / Company: The Chinese University of Hong Kong
– HONOURABLE MENTION of Manhattan Wildscraper Competition
Flatiron ver. Bee is a redevelopment proposal on the historical Flatiron Building. We separate the scheme into “Human” and “Nature” section. The “Human” section is the refurbished Flatiron Building, with original façade reused on the lower office floors and a modern façade designed on the upper residential extension. A wastewater and rainwater recycling system are installed in the Building. The “Nature” section is supported by a parasitic hexagonal skeleton, with hidden water pipes, on the Flatiron Building. Algae energy supported pods are then plugged into the skeleton. Some slots (in blue) are designated for water collection pods to receive recycled water from the Building. In micro-scale, a few pods work together to form an artificial ecosystem. For example, a water collection unit passes water to a purification pod containing aquatic plants and fishes, then goes to a farming unit with fertilizer from a biomass treatment pod. Garden pods will contain native species to attract bees for promoting biodiversity. In macro-scale, the “Human” section provides the pods with recycled water, and the “Nature” section will return food and energy to the people, composing mutualism. We envision this parasitic system can be applied on other existing buildings, with replaceable, reconfigurable and customisable pods.
#Ecosystem #Conservation #Mutualism #Biotechnology #Biodiversity