Symbio Explorer Lub Nkoj Tshawb Fawb by Guo Qian

Symbio Explorer Lub Nkoj Tshawb Fawb by Guo Qian is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award Hlau in Tsim Nkoj Loj thiab Nkoj Hiav Txwv Competition Category.

HlauNkoj Loj· 2026

Symbio Explorer Lub Nkoj Tshawb Fawb

by Guo Qian

Client: Southern Marine Science And Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai)

A' Design Award Hlau Winner in Nkoj Loj Category

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The Design

About Symbio Explorer Lub Nkoj Tshawb Fawb

SymBio Explorer yog ib lub nkoj tshawb fawb uas khiav tau nws tus kheej, tsim los rau kev mus tshawb txujci ntawm thaj chaw npau daus polar. Lub nkoj no ua raws li lub nkoj niam rau cov tshuab drone ya saum ntuj, khiav saum nplaim dej thiab hauv qab dej, thiab tswj tau nyob deb. Cov kab nkhaus zoo li tej yam ntuj tsim khiav sib txuas ntawm hauv ntej mus rau tom qab, ua rau lub cev nkoj muaj tus duab zoo li ib yam muaj sia tsis muaj tej ces kaum tawv. Cov cuab yeej ua haujlwm xws li cov tshuab nqa khoom A-frame raug muab npog rau hauv lub cev nkoj kom pom tus duab sib xws ua ke. Sab lauj ntawm lub lawj yog siv tso cov drone tawm mus, hos sab xis yog siv txais cov drone rov los. Lub nkoj ntev 88.5 meters thiab dav 14 meters, thiab siv lub zog hluav taws xob tag nrho los tsav.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Hlau

Symbio Explorer Lub Nkoj Tshawb Fawb yog tus yeej ntawm A' Design Award Hlau, ib qho kev lees paub muaj meej mom uas muab rau cov qauv tsim zoo uas ua tau raws li cov kev xav tau ntawm kev ua haujlwm thiab kev lag luam uas xav tau los ntawm cov khoom tsim zoo. Cov neeg yeej Hlau qhia txog kev txawj loj, kev paub tshwj xeeb siab, kev nkag siab ntawm cov kws tshaj lij thiab lub peev xwm tsim ntawm cov neeg tsim. Symbio Explorer Lub Nkoj Tshawb Fawb xav tias yuav yog ib qho khoom tsim uas neeg hwm, qhuas thiab hlub uas siv tau thiab tsim tshiab. Cov qauv tsim yeej A' Design Award Hlau no sib xyaw cov kev coj ua zoo tshaj plaws ntawm kev lag luam thiab muaj cov yam ntxwv siv tshuab txawj ntse txuas nrog kev paub thiab txuj ci. Symbio Explorer Lub Nkoj Tshawb Fawb tau txais kev hwm vim nws tag nrho thiab tsim los muab kev txhim kho rau lub neej uas pab ua rau lub ntiaj teb zoo dua.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Conventional research vessels follow engineering logic with industrial forms. This design challenges the fixed opinion by conceiving mothership as an entirely new species, a futuristic artificial-marine organism", a mysterious intelligent entity. It is neither a cold exploration instruments nor a larger whale, but a new aesthetics object, which emphasize a new ethics of species interaction, ecological balance and sustainable coexistence. It can achieve polar scientific expedition. The Design enhance visual ruggedness and embody the spirit of exploration.
Dimensions & Packaging: Designed Displacement 2100 tons; Length 88.5 meters; Width 14.0 meters; Depth 6.1 meters; Maximum speed 18 knots; Economic speed 13 knots; Fully Electric Propulsion ；Autonomous Navigation and Remote Control;
Tags: i-ship , Symbiosis, Biology, artificial-marine organism, Intelligence
Production Technology: The design employs continuous organic curves throughout form and detail. From bow to stern, from bridge to drone deck, the fluidity of these curves achieves formal closure while integrating functional requirements into a unified biomorphic envelope. This approach eliminates fragmented lines and rigid orthogonal geometries typical of modernist industrial design. Through the comprehensive application of form, material, and color, operational equipment such as A-frame hoists are visually absorbed into the hull, reducing their perceptual prominence and reinforcing the continuity of the overall silhouette.
Design Challenge: The overall spatial layout is the key to ship design. Engineers are mainly responsible for organizing functional relationships and improving the efficiency of equipment and pipeline layout and placement. Designers consider the skeletal proportions and overall appearance of the appearance, as well as the humanized content such as the behavior and experience, perception and comfort of scientists and crew members. The challenge of the project lies in the communication, collaboration, debate, and compromise between designers and engineers.
Research: The form research by two steps, named "reverse engineering". Firstly, polyurethane foam and oil sludge are used as materials, and the model is manually made at a scale of 1:100. Then, the solid model is taken as the object, and key point sets are collected by laser, and then imported into the 3D software (Rhino 7.0 version) for parametric design modification.
Inspiration: SymBio Explorer imagines the research vessel as a new species, proposes an "artificial-marine organism" between machine and living creature. The biomorphic silhouette externalizes its identity as an intelligent unmanned system mothership. Merging "Symbiosis" and "Biology," it embodies a new ecological ethics: the ocean is not a resource to exploit, but an entity coexisting with humanity.
Project Duration: The project started in June 2024 in Guangzhou and finished in May 2025 in Beijing.
Operation Flow: The SymBio Explorer is an autonomous, remotely-operable research vessel serving as a coordinated mothership for aerial, surface, and underwater drone systems. Certified with i-ship (No, R1, M, I) intelligent notation, it achieves autonomous navigation in open waters, assisted berthing, remote monitoring, equipment diagnostics, and predictive analysis. The port deck serves as UAV launch platform while starboard accommodates recovery; stern-mounted systems deploy surface craft and submersibles.
Image Credits: Image #1: Modeling and Rendering, Mothership, Zhou Rui, Li Tianyu;
Image #2: Modeling and Rendering, silhouette, Zhou Rui, Li Tianyu;
Image #3: Modeling and Rendering, iceberg, Zhou Rui, Li Tianyu;
Image #4: Modeling and Rendering, 45 degree, Zhou Rui, Li Tianyu;
Image #5: Modeling and Rendering, close up, Zhou Rui, Li Tianyu;