Student Project | Just follow the Smell

Wild boar is a native species in Hong Kong and provokes debates of wild life conservation among the government and the animal welfare groups due to increasing coexistence between wild boar and human since 1970s.

The design project starts with the olfactory perception through the lens of wild boar. Olfaction is the most developed sense and plays an important role in navigation, foraging, social interactions and vigilance. Scientist approved that spatial map in wild boar’s memory is based on smell. Species´ internal statement will process external environment by Odotope and Sonotope and derive their biobehaviour and movement, create spatial-temporal relationship. Smellscape is crucial for wild boar conservation and weather is the critical factor affecting distribution, intensity and speed of smell. Wind is selected as a main smell climatic factor.

The diploma aims at creating sensory corridor by setting up guidance of self-sustaining reforestation to rewild the original broadleaved Feng Shui and native riverbank woodlands in Tai Lam Chung Country Park, Hong Kong. Using dominant wind direction of the site, i.e. Southern East wind, 5m/s for the speed of wind as main parameters in Airflow Analysis, with various distribution of tree and topography, simulation models aim to test the pattern of woodland and form of topography, its influence in amplifying or reducing the smell density. The higher the density, the stronger abilities for holding smell, thus reforestation with dense woodland is an effective natural perfume and thus attraction to wild boar.

There are four main spatial rules: A. Smell nodes are key natural perfumes, include 1. replacement of existing grassland by new mini native feng shui woodland with Miyawaki reforestation method, 2. mini riparian edges with beaver dam technique, 3. masting plantation in existing rural plantation area and 4. pollination plantation in existing shrubby grassland, mainly prioritize the water source and topography facing the dominant winds in spring and autumn, as to maximize the pollination and masting effect, providing more foods, as well as a typhoon shelter and to slow down the wild fire. B. Smell breaks refer to the planting area of smelly species for wild boar, i.e. Asteracea family and ginger in the topography facing the north which the smell of farm is from and at the edge of the farm, whereas C. visual node is planting of visually strong species in the intersection area of human and wild boar circulation along the hiking trail as to remind people the area with active wild boar activities, also act as fuel breaks to stop the wild fire. D. Fire breaks are the existing roads, hiking trails and new clearance of trees along the ridges, providing escape routes for wild life in wild fire.

Using the above principles, a 30-year master plan is created along southern east sensory corridor, it is a climate adaptation co-creation with local community, native woodland and other species, which is to be resilient to the endless threat of wildfire and typhoon, with drier and more windy weather under climate change in subtropical context.

Just follow the Smell

Student: Lai Ching Ng – The Oslo School of Architecture and Design

Advisors/Supervisors:
Giambattista Zaccariotto – The Oslo School of Architecture and Design;

Yifu Wang – The Chinese University of Hong Kong;
Maximilian Schob – Norwegian University of Life Sciences