The wave represents the rising sea levels, while providing seating and functions as a communal space at the heart of venue. The installation includes carpet tiles from Interface made by 100% recycled fishnets and dismantlable cardboard modules. WAVE is designed by the Woods Bagot team Freda Jia, Stefano Tronci, Joerg Lonkwitz and Ethan Wang with support from Russell Fortmeyer and collaborations with Shui On Land, Tongji University College of Design and Innovation, Interface and Qixiang. 

Invited as a panelist, Stefano also shed light on how architectural sectors can achieve sustainability during the design process and how to balance sustainable development and industrial innovation.

The exhibition will be open to the public until 21^st May. Don’t miss the chance to come and immerse in the waves. You can also stop by Woods Bagot’s booth to learn more about our practice on sustainability design and our first ever Climate Playbook on site.

About WAVE’s design concept:

Global warming has continued to gain momentum in recent years, and the construction industry is responsible for over 40% of carbon emissions worldwide. As a pioneer in the building and construction industry, Woods Bagot aims to raise people’s awareness about sea level rising and climate change by creating an art installation that showcases our passion for a more sustainable future. 

The installation used recyclable cardboard as the main material, aiming to mimic the rise and fall of the ocean waves. The length of the cardboard seats represents the height of sea level rising as time progress. For example, while the sea level is around 0.1m in the year 2015, it will rise to 3.5m in 2285 without active intervention. Carbon-neutral carpet from Interface also uses fishnet from marine litter as one of its material sources. The design of the carpet vividly displays the splash of waves to create an immersive experience for viewers. 

If viewers stand at upper floors and look down at the installation through the atrium space, they will see how the 20 cardboard seats form a bar chat that explains the gradual rise of sea level in the future. The installation is not just an art piece, it is also a call for action to alleviate climate change. One side of the installation is also carved out to form a bookshelf to display books with sustainability related themes for people to borrow and read.