Karst ᱫᱟᱜ ᱪᱮᱞᱮᱠ ᱥᱤᱰᱷᱤ by Chi-Hao Chiang is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 A' Design Award ᱠᱟᱥᱟ ᱯᱩᱨᱚᱥᱠᱟᱨ in ᱤᱢᱟᱨᱚᱛ ᱠᱚᱢᱯᱚᱱᱮᱱᱴ Competition Category.

ᱠᱟᱥᱟᱤᱢᱟᱨᱚᱛ ᱠᱚᱢᱯᱚᱱᱮᱱᱴ· 2022

Karst ᱫᱟᱜ ᱪᱮᱞᱮᱠ ᱥᱤᱰᱷᱤ

by Chi-Hao Chiang

Client: Chi-Hao Chiang

A' Design Award ᱠᱟᱥᱟ ᱯᱩᱨᱚᱥᱠᱟᱨ Winner in ᱤᱢᱟᱨᱚᱛ ᱠᱚᱢᱯᱚᱱᱮᱱᱴ Category

29,776

Verified Award Winner

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Visit Site View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Karst ᱫᱟᱜ ᱪᱮᱞᱮᱠ ᱥᱤᱰᱷᱤ

Karst, New York ᱨᱮᱱᱟᱜ Governors Island ᱞᱟᱹᱜᱤᱫ ᱛᱮᱭᱟᱨ ᱟᱠᱟᱱ ᱢᱤᱫ ᱢᱚᱰᱩᱞᱟᱨ ᱥᱤᱰᱷᱤ, ᱱᱚᱶᱟ ᱦᱚᱲ ᱠᱚ ᱞᱟᱹᱜᱤᱫ ᱢᱤᱫ ᱥᱚᱞᱩᱥᱱᱟᱞ ᱠᱷᱩᱸᱫᱽ ᱞᱮᱠᱟ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ ᱡᱟᱦᱟᱸ ᱨᱮ ᱠᱚ ᱧᱮᱞ ᱟᱨ ᱟᱧᱡᱚᱢ ᱫᱟᱲᱮᱭᱟᱜ-ᱟ ᱞᱤᱸᱜᱤᱱ ᱫᱟᱜ, ᱟᱨ ᱫᱟᱜ ᱪᱮᱞᱮᱠ ᱥᱤᱥᱴᱮᱢ ᱥᱟᱶ ᱡᱟᱦᱟᱸ ᱚᱲᱟᱜ ᱵᱷᱤᱛᱨᱤ ᱨᱮ ᱡᱤᱭᱟᱹᱞᱤ ᱨᱮᱱᱟᱜ ᱟᱹᱨᱤᱪᱟᱹᱞᱤ ᱮ ᱟᱹᱜᱩ ᱟᱠᱚᱣᱟ, ᱦᱚᱲ ᱟᱨ ᱫᱟᱜ ᱨᱮᱱᱟᱜ ᱜᱟᱫᱮᱞ ᱮ ᱡᱚᱯᱚᱲᱟᱣ ᱟᱠᱚᱣᱟ᱾ ᱡᱷᱚᱛᱚ ᱢᱚᱰᱩᱞ ᱨᱮ ᱪᱩᱨᱢᱟᱹᱣ ᱚᱭᱮᱥᱴᱟᱨ ᱠᱷᱚᱞᱯᱟ ᱨᱮᱱᱟᱜ ᱛᱷᱚᱝᱜᱟ ᱫᱚᱦᱚ ᱞᱟᱹᱜᱤᱫ ᱢᱤᱫ ᱯᱚᱠᱮᱴ ᱢᱮᱱᱟᱜ-ᱟ᱾ ᱠᱮᱞᱥᱤᱭᱟᱢ ᱠᱟᱨᱵᱚᱱᱮᱴ ᱛᱮ ᱛᱮᱭᱟᱨ ᱠᱷᱚᱞᱯᱟ ᱠᱚ ᱮᱥᱤᱰ ᱡᱟᱹᱲᱤ ᱥᱟᱶ ᱯᱷᱟᱨᱪᱟ ᱠᱟᱛᱮ ᱠᱟᱨᱵᱚᱱ ᱰᱟᱭᱚᱠᱥᱟᱭᱮᱰ ᱮ ᱡᱚᱢ ᱠᱟᱛᱮ ᱮᱥᱤᱰᱤᱯᱷᱟᱭᱮᱰ ᱫᱚᱨᱭᱟ ᱮ ᱱᱤᱣᱴᱨᱟᱞᱟᱭᱤᱡᱽ ᱜᱚᱲᱚ ᱮᱢᱟᱭ ᱫᱟᱲᱮᱭᱟᱜ-ᱟ᱾ ᱢᱩᱪᱟᱹᱫ ᱨᱮ, ᱱᱚᱶᱟ ᱫᱚ ᱢᱤᱫ ᱯᱷᱤᱞᱴᱟᱨ ᱥᱤᱥᱴᱮᱢ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ ᱡᱟᱦᱟᱸ Governors Island ᱨᱮ ᱦᱚᱲ ᱟᱨ ᱡᱤᱭᱟᱹᱞᱤ ᱛᱟᱞᱟ ᱨᱮᱱᱟᱜ ᱥᱤᱢᱟᱹ ᱮ ᱫᱷᱩᱸᱫᱽᱞᱟᱹ ᱫᱟᱲᱮᱭᱟᱜ-ᱟ᱾

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award ᱠᱟᱥᱟ ᱯᱩᱨᱚᱥᱠᱟᱨ

Karst ᱫᱟᱜ ᱪᱮᱞᱮᱠ ᱥᱤᱰᱷᱤ ᱫᱚ A' Design Award ᱠᱟᱥᱟ ᱯᱩᱨᱚᱥᱠᱟᱨ ᱧᱟᱢ ᱟᱠᱟᱱᱟ, ᱱᱚᱶᱟ ᱫᱚ ᱱᱟᱣᱟ ᱵᱷᱟᱵᱱᱟ ᱛᱮ ᱵᱷᱟᱞᱟᱭ ᱰᱤᱡᱟᱭᱤᱱ ᱠᱚ ᱞᱟᱹᱜᱤᱫ ᱮᱢ ᱟᱠᱟᱱ ᱥᱚᱢᱟᱱ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ᱾ ᱱᱚᱶᱟ ᱠᱚ ᱫᱚ ᱰᱤᱡᱟᱭᱤᱱᱟᱨ ᱠᱚ ᱨᱮᱭᱟᱜ ᱵᱷᱟᱵᱱᱟ ᱟᱨ ᱵᱷᱟᱞᱟᱭ ᱠᱟᱢᱤ ᱡᱷᱟᱞᱠᱟᱣ ᱠᱚ᱾ Karst ᱫᱟᱜ ᱪᱮᱞᱮᱠ ᱥᱤᱰᱷᱤ ᱫᱚ ᱠᱚᱞᱟ, ᱣᱤᱜᱭᱟᱱ, ᱰᱤᱡᱟᱭᱤᱱ ᱟᱨ ᱴᱮᱠᱱᱚᱞᱚᱡᱤ ᱨᱮᱭᱟᱜ ᱥᱤᱢᱟ ᱵᱟᱲᱦᱟᱣ ᱟᱨ ᱫᱩᱱᱤᱭᱟ ᱵᱷᱟᱞᱟᱭ ᱞᱟᱹᱜᱤᱫ ᱜᱚᱲᱚ ᱮᱢ ᱠᱟᱱᱟ᱾

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties: Karst, a modular staircase designed for Governors Island in New York, is like a solutional cave for people to see and hear the flowing water, with a water-filtering system that brings the sensation of nature into the house, connecting the community of humans and water. Each module has a pocket for placing a bag of crushed oyster shells, and the shells composed of calcium carbonate can react with acid rain to reduce ocean acidification by absorbing carbon dioxide.
Dimensions & Packaging: 2032 mm x 5740.4 mm x 5130.8 mm
Tags: Staircase, Concrete, Water Filtration, Governors Island, Sustainable
Production Technology: It will be made out of concrete, and the bags with crushed oyster shells inside as the filtering material.
Design Challenge: Finding a way to combine two very different forms to be consistent and functional is the design challenge.
Research: Question the relationship between industrial standardized building material and organic material in the present time when concrete jungles are sprawling on the land. Our goal is to allow nature to appear and break the traditional boundary that we humans created, separating ourselves from nature. After the explorations of physical material combinations, we took styrofoam and pine cone models to deconstruct and reconstruct. After simplifying, two different forms combined in a consistent way.
Inspiration: The goal is to allow nature to appear and break the traditional boundary that we humans created, separating ourselves from nature. After many physical explorations, the proposal was narrowed down to create an interactive community for humans and water. Also, the reason for naming the staircase Karst is from the Karst terrain, which is famous for solutional caves, with its cave form and the process that acid rain can act with the crushed oyster shell.
Project Duration: The project started in February 2020 in New York and finished in May 2020 in New York, and was exhibited on Governors Island in New York in October 2020.
Operation Flow: First, the rainwater drips from the pockets with bags of crushed oyster shells. After the filtration, it trickles down on the cliff and flows through the troughs. Potentially, this staircase can be not only applied indoors but also separated into modular sliced units then installed along the island. It is a filter system that can blur the boundary between humans and nature on Governors Island. In the end, the filtered water can return to the harbor and benefit the island.
Team Members: Chi-Hao Chiang
Zhixian Song
Image Credits: Image #1: Industrial Designer Chi-Hao Chiang, Front View of Karst, 2020.
Image #2: Industrial Designer Chi-Hao Chiang, Side View of Karst, 2020.
Image #3: Industrial Designer Chi-Hao Chiang, Filtration Bags of Karst, 2020.
Image #4: Industrial Designer Chi-Hao Chiang, Handrail of Karst, 2020.
Image #5: Industrial Designer Chi-Hao Chiang, Steps of Karst, 2020.
Video Credits: Architect Zhixian Song, Application of Karst, 2020.