Morphis Shortlisted for World Landscape Architecture Award
We are delighted that our Shenzhen Bay Avenue project, in collaboration with architects WilkinsonEyre, is one of the shortlisted finalists for the 2019 World Landscape Architecture Awards under the conceptual category.
Where are all the little creatures in our cities?
There have been alarming declines of ladybirds, moths, bees, butterflies and beetles in our cities over the last 30 years – the urban eco-system barometer of how cities are responding to climate change.
The little creatures are the inner beauty of invisible design who we need to multiply by optimizing the benefits of nature, and combining scientific theory with collaborative design. Approximately 80% of plants are angiosperms require pollination from either bees, butterflies or other pollinating insects; without these pollinators, most plant life would disappear in our urban mosaic of habitats. However, when we put people and eco-systems first, we design towards a new lifestyle as a living system.
The Danish urbanist, Jan Gehl neatly summarises his approach as, ‘First life, then spaces, then buildings.’ In other words, as designers, our responsibility is for people and eco-systems before developing the places, and ultimately designing the buildings. By making conscious decisions to design the landscape with urban eco-systems as bio-filters, we can ultimately make a difference to atmospheric CO₂ trends.
Currently, cities account for around 75% of the world’s carbon emissions energy consumption. To address these complex urban challenges to complement the more typical landscape approaches to climate change, we need to have the responsibility of keeping abreast of green energy and water research, implementing hybrid functionality and ultimately to work towards a more balanced supply.
We need to explore more integrated approaches to challenge some of the conventional approaches to create solutions to reduce energy demands and increase renewable energy supply / re-use, to continue to inspire innovative ideas for new ways of thinking about the urban heat island, smart building orientation, re-use of water, efficient energy consumption and building façade / roof treatments.
Intelligent massing at the earliest stages of urban planning and includes harnessing local opportunities and building orientation as part of an integrated microclimatic response. For buildings, we are seeing integrated green roofs and water storage created for aquaculture through tilapia tanks to create high yield food production within buildings. The technology had been around for decades – it’s the collaborative mindsets between disciplines that need to come together.
Benefitting from solar energy for passive heating in winter, prevailing winds as a cooling mechanism, and creating shelter and shade from unwanted solar gain and glare and shelter from cold winter winds and local air pollution in the public realm. Whilst planting creates shelter from sun during hot months, this needs to be balanced with admitting daylight and low angle solar energy for passive heating in winter.
*Gehl (2011) Life Between Buildings: Using Public Space. Washington DC: Island Press
Article featured on World Landscape Architecture, March 2019 as part of their series on climate change adaption www.worldlandscapearchitect.com/where-are-all-the-little-creatures-in-our-cities/#.XICERMAzaM9
Morphis and WilkinsonEyre win international design competition at Shenzhen Bay, China
Morphis and architect WilkinsonEyre have won a major international competition for a 6.3ha urban design and masterplan project in the Greater Bay area of Shenzhen, southeastern China.
Commissioned by the Shenzhen Government, the Shenzhen Bay Avenue East Extension will create a 1km multi-layered pedestrian connection, shaping the future of the city’s urban fabric to form a vibrant and culturally-animated transition between the commercial district of the city and the bay. The result will be a new city destination of lively public realm promoting healthy and sustainable living.
The winning design celebrates the concept of ‘City-Culture-Bay’ to create a coherent ensemble of interconnected elevated walkways, linked by escalators and stairs to a lively streetscape and basement level civic realm. The route passes through three distinct zones, from the central business district through to a new cultural quarter and on to a landscaped park on the bay. The design will become an ensemble of animated places, as a series of destinations along its linear route, framed with new commercial and cultural buildings.
Key urban spaces include a transport interchange with a bus station and links to two subway stations, a sunken plaza and the Platform Park, envisaged as a calm space amid the hustle and bustle of the city. Retail has been incorporated within two extensive basement levels along the Avenue where the multi-layered landscape brings light and shade into to create dramatic internal spaces, connected through vertical circulation nodes to form part of the integrated wayfinding strategy.
Mark Blackwell, director of Morphis says: “The creation of new and contemporary public realm integrated with city life is crucial to simultaneously transform and unite Shenzhen with its waterfront. It will be spectacular and dynamic, beyond imagination, rooted in the culture of Shenzhen’s diverse community delivering a thriving, well-served and sustainable cityscape.”
Matthew Potter, director of WilkinsonEyre says: “WilkinsonEyre and Morphis have collaborated to create a proposal that holistically blends architecture, urban design and landscape design. Our concept will deliver a strong linear public space with the flexibility to allow the city to breathe, develop, grow and adapt.”
The competition was organised by one of China's leading developers, CR Land. The other shortlisted practices were Sasaki Associates, Turenscape, MLA+ and UPDIS, BNP and ShenDu, and Aecom.
Design Trust Future Studio - Pop-up Exhibition and Design Dialogue
Join us at the Design Trust ‘Play is for the People’ exhibition and design dialogue this afternoon 4-6pm in Hong Kong with Morphis’s Mark Blackwell, one of the co-moderators for the discussion on the evolution of micro-park design, along with Marisa Yiu (Co-founder/ Executive Director, Design Trust) and Christopher Law (Founding Director, The Oval Partnership Ltd). The exhibition reflects on the creative processes and collective design of the flagship programme Design Trust Futures Studio. Working closely with the local communities and other stakeholders from both private and public sectors, the design teams translated their findings from site research and analysis, as well as various public engagement sessions into four unique concepts for micro-park concept designs located in Hong Kong.
http://designtrust.hk/design-trust-futures-studio/programme-portfolio/
Opening Reception: Saturday 19th January, 2019
Time: 4-6pm
Venue: Warehouses on West, Shop B, G/F, Samtoh Building, No. 384A Queen's Road West, Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong
RSVP to events@designtrust.hk
On Site in the Heart of Fuzhou Mixed-use Development
On site in the heart of Fuzhou, China at the incredible Shangri-La development where we are creating a unique urban sanctuary landscape with David Buffonge from Lead8, Beng Chee Lim, CEO of Shangri-La Hotels and Morphis's Mark Blackwell. An expansion of the existing 5-star Shangri-La Hotel which was built in 2005, the development includes 50,000 sqm retail podium, cinema, food courts, plaza spaces, outdoor and alfresco dining areas, and a direct connection to a new subway station, as well as the hotel and a 100m tall Grade A office tower.
Morphis’s design approach celebrates the experiential journey of guests, visitors and the local community to connect with local character, culture and history to enrich urban life in Fuzhou. The development is anticipated to be completed by 2022.
Celebrating with team drinks at The Armoury, Tai Kwun before our Christmas dinner
Happy Holidays! Celebrating the season of joy, hope and love after an incredible journey this year. Thank you all for your support from our creative team at Morphis #lifeinthemaking
Morphis appointed on Shangri-La Fuzhou mixed-use development
We are delighted to be collaborating with SLIM and architects Lead8 on the new Fuzhou Shangri-La mixed-Use development, in the heart of Fuzhou city. An expansion of the existing 5-star Shangri-La Hotel which was built in 2005, the development includes 50,000 sqm retail podium, cinema, food courts, plaza spaces, outdoor and alfresco dining areas, and a direct connection to a new subway station, as well as the hotel and a 100m tall Grade A office tower.
Morphis’s design approach celebrates the experiential journey of guests, visitors and the local community to connect with local character, culture and history to enrich urban life in Fuzhou. The development is anticipated to be completed by 2022.
Beijing Waterfront Approaches Detail Design Phases
A preview of our design progress for the new waterfront park in Beijing, part of the wider 86 acre public open space Morphis are developing, celebrating lifestyle as a living system through connections with nature, to explore and discover beyond boundaries. The completed 175,000m2 phase one development includes a 68,000m2 Retail and Entertainment Podium, the 369-key EAST Hotel and ONE INDIGO, a 58,000m2 international Grade A Office Tower.
Mark Blackwell, Managing Director of Morphis explains, ‘We are delighted to be working with both Sino Ocean and Swire Properties on this prestigious mixed use waterfront development to further enhance the experiential design in the landscape and create unique journeys for visitors to return time and time again as part of a new urban realm to live, work and play.’
An evening of celebration with SLD
A wonderful evening at the Four Season’s Hotel in Hong Kong with Steve Leung celebrating SLD’s recent listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, along with leaders and shapers of our industry. As a true collaborator on a number of Morphis projects, a big thank you to the talented SLD team where art, nature and people come together to share a journey.
Developing a prototype for a mixed-use lifestyle development in Shenzhen
'Hanging at the mall’ will take on an entirely new connotation - no longer is it good enough for mixed-use developments to include a retail component just to buy and leave. The reinvented retail format Morphis are developing create engaging places to retain and hold customers as a programmed series of spaces and events. Stores become stages, delivering 'classroom retail,' showcasing the makers and processes behind products and brands. Event areas will host showpiece interactive activities and events to give visitors a more stimulated experience; the smartphone in our pockets is the gateway to the customised retail experience.
The emerging Generation Z and Millennials, who will account for upto 20% of the population by 2020, live and work in a very immersive way, and we respond to this need by blurring the boundaries between MTR, arrival, office and retail experience to maximize the landscape, blurring the boundaries between public and private shared spaces - office, retail and residential coming together in a very unique proposition.
An opportunity to explore, discover and connect - irrigated with people to engage in both meaningful and memorable experiences.
Behind the scenes shooting the interactive marketing video for Tong Zhou, Beijing
Behind the scenes with Morphis Director, Mark Blackwell, shooting the interactive marketing video for our Tong Zhou, Beijing mixed use development at the famous Shaw Studios in Hong Kong. The marketing suite will be open in September 2018 and the main development in 2019.
Archigram Hong Kong - panel discussion on the future of Central and the waterfront
Archigram Hong Kong- Join Morphis and the panel at PMQ in Hong Kong on Monday 25th June for a discussion on the future of Hong Kong's Central and harbourfront - public space and the waterfront, hosted by HKU and the Urban Land Institute.
Book your seat for the event at https://www.arch.hku.hk/event_/discussion-on-central-and-the-harborfront-on-public-space-and-the-city/
Morphis director appointed as a design advisor to Design Trust Hong Kong
Mark Blackwell, Director, has been appointed as a design advisor for Design Trust Hong Kong, creating platforms to support and stimulate design through creative sharing and engaging communities. As an extension of last year’s inaugural Design Trust Futures Studio, the 2018 theme for Futures Studio is “PLAY IS FOR THE PEOPLE”. Tackling and promoting the ideas of innovation, leisure and play, which creates meaning from the people, for the people with human factors, ergonomics and physical designs in play. Four practical yet playful micro-parks will be realized in four different locations around Hong Kong.
Further details of the programme can be found at http://designtrust.hk/
