Karst 水過濾樓梯 by Chi-Hao Chiang is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 A' Design Award 銅獎 in 建築構件設計 Competition Category.

銅建築構件· 2022

Karst 水過濾樓梯

by Chi-Hao Chiang

Client: Chi-Hao Chiang

A' Design Award 銅獎 Winner in 建築構件 Category

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The Design

About Karst 水過濾樓梯

Karst是為紐約總督島設計的模塊化樓梯，它就像一個解決方案洞穴，讓人們可以看到和聽到流水，並配有水過濾系統，將自然的感覺帶入房屋，連接人與水的社區。每個模塊都有一個口袋，用於放置一袋碎牡蠣殼。由碳酸鈣組成的貝殼可以與酸雨發生反應，通過吸收二氧化碳來幫助中和酸化的海洋。歸根結底，它是一個過濾系統，可以模糊總督島上人類與自然之間的界限。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 銅獎

Karst 水過濾樓梯是 A' Design Award 銅獎得主，這是授予以創造力、獨創性和敏銳見長的傑出設計的極具聲望的認可。銅獎得主是技藝嫻熟、創意驚人的作品，印證了其設計師豐富的經驗、想像力與機智。預計Karst 水過濾樓梯將成為一件備受推崇、令人欽佩且被珍愛的物品，兼具顯著的專業性與創新性。這件贏得 A' Design Award 銅獎的設計融入藝術、科學、設計和技術領域的最佳實踐，並因注重細節而出類拔萃。Karst 水過濾樓梯出色地滿足需求，觸動渴望，迷住情感，並吸引好奇心。

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.