Floating Marine Laboratory, proof of concept demonstration on the water, Friday May 22

With HKU Master of Architecture students, we are designing an innovative ocean science and entrepreneurship infrastructures. A floating laboratory for research and development to study the ocean and develop sustainable solutions for the Hong Kong waters and the world.

Time: Friday, May 22, 2020, at 11:00 – 12:00 Hong Kong Time

Virtual Location: https://hku.zoom.us/j/91067882707 | Meeting ID: 910 6788 2707

Concept
The ocean is where all life comes from and our future depends on it. The ocean covers more than 70% of our planet’s surface and absorbs most of the heat from the sun, therefore controlling the earth’s climate. But our oceans are mostly unexplored while being overfished, polluted with plastic, industrial and agricultural run-offs and radioactive substances. The ocean is suffering a rapid biodiversity decline without much general public awareness and more so lacking significant action to reverse this deadly trend.

(A) Research vessels tend to be very expensive, unsafe and environmentally damaging. It is a design challenge.
(B) The speed between science and impact is too slow. That is a culture, management and legal challenge.
(C) Current marine business models are unsustainable. That is an economic and environmental challenge.

Let’s assume that the people involved in this project want to (C) develop commercial activities that heal the ocean, and (B) share information freely so that positive change can accelerate and spread. What would this (A) new design of floating research and development infrastructure look like and operate? Hong Kong is a coastal city in the middle of the world’s largest urban area -the Greater Bay- with over 70 million people. Hong Kong is also a biodiversity hotspot that needs to be preserved. HKU has a great ocean science faculty and easy access to the water. How will we design a new type of floating maritime laboratory that is safe, affordable, and environmentally friendly?

This Friday (May 22) at 11:00 AM, for an hour we will be live-streaming from South Lantau, from the Floating Marine Laboratory proof of concept, on the water. The goal is to test designs for a low-cost floating marine research facility. The primary functions would be to host filtering organisms to clean the water (oysters, mussels, clams, and other bivalves and mollusks). Other functions of the platform may be marine ecology education, plastic pollution removal, environmental data gathering and streaming, fish farming…We are building at scale 1 for testing and for your feedback. You are welcome both virtually and in person.