Smart “O”

What is the future for an isolated, neglected and small island? Huangguan Island, in the waters near Fuqing City in south-east China, is about the size of a 500m x 500m playground. With no ferry service connecting it to surrounding islands, even local people rarely visit the island. Instead of adding new buildings to the island, we are taking better care of its unique tidal landscape, natural resources and wild atmosphere, and aiming to reduce human intervention. A bold idea is to test the chemical reaction of integrating technology and nature, so we are proposing a lightweight, physical, multi-functional O-ring, known as a smart ‘O’, to connect Huanguan Island and surrounding islands, complementing better communication and resource sharing. Most importantly, the O-Ring will prioritise the protection of the natural environment by providing environmental monitoring, information services and education.

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This Design was collected in the book Data Augmented Design: Embracing New Data for Sustainable Urban Planning and Design (Springer, 2021)