Karst
Karst, a modular staircase designed for Governors Island in New York, is like a solutional cave for people to see and hear the flowing water, with a water filtering system that brings the sensation of nature into the house, connecting the community of humans and water. Each module has a pocket for placing a bag of crushed oyster shells. The shells composed of calcium carbonate can react with acid rain to help neutralize acidified ocean by absorbing carbon dioxide. In the end, it is a filter system that can blur the boundary between humans and nature on Governors Island.
Karst Water Filtration Staircase by Chi-Hao Chiang has been identified as an outstanding representation of industrial design by the A' Design Award. Karst Water Filtration Staircase earned the Bronze A' Design Award in Building Materials and Construction Components Design in 2022. The A' Building Materials and Construction Components Design Award is an international, jury-voted, fair and ethical design competition which recognizes superior design of bricks, beams, windows, doors, insulation materials, roofing materials, plumbing fixtures, electrical components and more.
