Amidst proposals for the construction of a 1,700ha. artificial island within Hong Kong’s archipelago, Isle of Lunar-Sea offers alternatives to the city’s longstanding reclamation methods. The project proposes construction of a floating city for marginalised locals, including dwindling indigenous Tanka boat-dwellers that inspired the designed structures, the 200,000+ invisible residents of subdivided flats and the sole inhabitant of Sunshine Island at the reclamation plan’s centre.
The model masterplan establishes reconnections to HK’s broader marine surroundings and its role as a traditional refuge. Linkages to lunisolar dates, tidal change and maritime geography form the basis of the city’s comprising architectures, both floating and stilted. Enabled by the sea’s flexibility, inhabitation of the city remains ever-changing around three dominant depth-based spatial organizations, suiting seasonal and future climates.