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HabiTide
RCA Grand Challenge 2024
Project Duration: 3 months
Team Size: 5 members (a mechanical engineer, and 4 desginers from fields of products, service, fashion, and textiles).
My Responsibilities: Project lead and management, directing research and experiments for on-site trips and labs to develop and validate the product, material science, ideation and design, progress tracking, idea pitching and presentation to a large group, interviewing strangers to collect valuable insights.
Deptford Creek, a distinctive eco-heritage site within Lewisham, is part of the remaining 2% of the Tidal Thames’ natural edges. Despite its unique status for wildlife, human activities have destroyed its crucial river habitats. In the 1990s, over 480 shopping trolleys were removed from the riverbed. This led to an unexpected 50% decline in Deptford Creek’s fish population, as the lattice structures of the trolleys served as vital refuges for young fish against predators during tides.
In response, we developed a biodegradable structure that provides shelter and spawning grounds for migratory freshwater fish, as well as remediating heavy metal contamination such as lead, cadmium, and copper. It is made of clay, modified sodium alginate from brown seaweed and repurposed salmon bones from local seafood markets. HabiTide’s visible interactions with the tides create an aesthetic experience and increase awareness for people nearby, fostering connections between humans and the aquatic ecosystem, while addressing challenges of rising sea levels.
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BRIEF OVERVIEW
HabiTide won 2nd place out of 140 teams in the RCA Grand Challenge 2024, the biggest single-institution postgraduate design project in the world, after 4 months of hard work and multiple stages of pitching to a judging panel featuring representatives from UNESCO, DEFRA, NOC, and Wandsworth Couoncil.