10th China International Garden Expo Wuhan, China

The theme garden for the 2016 China International Garden Expo in Wuhan combines environmental and aesthetically experiential aspects in a “Green Water Vortex” – an artificial water garden. The cultivation of algae as food has a long tradition in East Asia. For science, microalgae have only recently shown great potential as biomass producers with valuable nutrients and as efficient carbon dioxide storage. The aesthetic aspects of microalgae are multifaceted. The algae cultivation technology involving translucent tubes gave rise to our rather bold design theme. The tube system in the form of a water vortex becomes more condensed toward the centre of the garden, creating a sculptured shade canopy. Traditional Western and Asian design principles are distilled into a novel garden composition of light and shadow, colours and tones.