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Marine ecosystem restoration: digitally fabricated habitats presented at World Design Congress

Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) has partnered with the Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) and D-Shape for the World Design Congress (WDC) 2025. Established by the World Design Organization (WDO) in collaboration with the UK Design Council, WDC 2025 brought together the global design community to address design for planet. Examining design's capacity as a crucial tool for environmental action, ZHA presented projects that explore sustainable innovation across marine ecosystems, renewable materials, urban regeneration, and future mobility—demonstrating design as an effective catalyst for ecological resilience.

Showcased at WDC 2025, Nereid is a digitally fabricated habitat designed to help restore the marine ecosystem within the North Lantau Marine Park conservation zone in Hong Kong. Sponsored by HKSTP, Nereid has been developed by ZHA using advanced 3D printing technologies created by D-Shape, one of over 2,400 tech companies within HKSTP’s vibrant innovation and technology ecosystem.

Hilda Chan, Chief Marketing Officer of HKSTP, said: “The collaboration highlights the visionary design of Zaha Hadid Architects, the ingenuity of D-Shape, and our commitment to innovative solutions for environmental challenges. We're thrilled to see Nereid presented at the World Design Congress, demonstrating the power of Hong Kong’s I&T on the world stage.”

Collaborating with marine physiologist and toxicologist Professor James Fang of Hong Kong Polytechnic University whose work and research promotes ocean health and seafood sustainability, Nereid is a prototype developed by ZHA and D-Shape as a practical response to biodiversity loss due to climate change, increased urbanisation, land reclamation and marine pollution that are exponentially impacting coastal environments globally. The project will provide restorative and hydrodynamic benefits which encourage the natural regeneration of marine ecosystems.

Specifically targeting the regeneration of food resources, the design of Nereid by ZHA and D-Shape has been developed to encourage the growth of phytoplankton and filter-feeding shellfish that are the foundation of the marine ecosystem’s food chain.

Employing pH-neutral materials in a low-carbon concrete paste that is safe for marine environments, D-Shape’s advanced 3D printing technology delivers bio-mimetic forms that replicate natural reef textures and porosity for deployment across diverse coastal zones. Optimised for marine-grade applications, the design emulates the geometries of benthic systems such as kelp forests to mimic natural complexity.

This initiative aligns with HKSTP’s mission to foster innovation while restoring the region’s marine habitats. Nereid will create regenerative marine infrastructure that also serves as an effective barrier against harmful practices such as bottom trawling of the seabed by fishing fleets.

Programmes creating artificial reefs providing marine habitats, places of refuge and nurseries have proven to significantly enhance biodiversity and regeneration. Earlier this year, Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) worked with the Agriculture Fisheries and Conservation Department of the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to install artificial reefs on the seabed to the west of Hong Kong International Airport’s centre runway.

Post-deployment monitoring surveys confirmed these artificial reefs successfully promoted the growth of colonisation species including goby fish (Tridentiger trigonocephalus), barnacles (Balanus amphitrite), bryozoans (Bugula neritina), oysters, corals, sponges and hydroid species.  Ahermatypic hard corals (Balanophyllia) and several commercial fish species (such as Scatophagus argus, Monacanthus chinensis and Acanthopagrus schlegelii) also inhabited these artificial reefs adjacent to Hong Kong International Airport.

Home to the Chinese White Dolphin (Sousa chinensis) - a critically endangered species affectionately known locally as the Hong Kong Pink Dolphin due to its distinctive skin colouration in the warm waters of the Pearl River Delta - the region’s marine ecosystems have been adversely affected by shipping, ferry traffic and land reclamation. This initiative joins existing programmes established to revitalize the ecosystem, essential to supporting the repopulation of the city’s beloved dolphin.

Christos Passas, Design Director, Zaha Hadid Architects, said: “Driven by a deep understanding of the requirements needed to support local ecosystems, this prototype is part of a wider approach developed in collaboration with partners in innovative technologies to research and progress initiatives that enhance environmental sustainability.”

Mario Nuzzolese, Director, D-Shape said: “Nereid demonstrates large-scale 3D printing can support the regeneration of marine ecosystems. By opening our technology to partners, we’re turning bold ideas into habitats where nature and innovation thrive.”


ZHA exhibited additional projects at WDC 2025 showcasing the studio's work and research enhancing architecture's environmental performance

The Eco Park Stadium proposed for Forest Green Rovers Football Club near Stroud, UK has been designed to be constructed almost entirely from sustainably sourced timber. Structural elements in the design of stadiums comprise a high proportion of embodied carbon due to the long spans, large scale, and capacity to accommodate dense crowds. The low-carbon timber structural system will significantly reduce the building’s overall carbon footprint.

With support from WIEHAG, specialists in sustainable engineered timber construction, a scaled-down prototype of the uppermost node that crowns the stadium’s triangular roof truss was displayed at WDC. With excellent structural properties, laminated timber also provides effective fire and weather resistance.

3D printed concrete blocks of ZHA’s Striatus and Phoenix bridges were also displayed at WDC. Assembled without mortar or reinforcement and first presented during the 2021 Venice Architecture Biennale, these footbridges use recycled materials in structural geometries that significantly reduce embodied carbon by decreasing required resources. As part of a WDC Hive session, Shajay Bhooshan, co-founder of ZHA’s Computational & Design (CODE) research team, detailed these innovative bridge designs that are rethinking the use of concrete for a circular future.

Further ZHA projects showcased at WDC included: NatPowerH, the world’s first green hydrogen refuelling infrastructure for the recreational boating industry; BEEAH Group’s new headquarters in Sharjah, UAE that serves as a blueprint for tomorrow’s smart, sustainable cities; ‘Thalia’ a cork wall system developed in collaboration with Gencork combining the natural benefits and properties of cork’s remarkable materiality with ZHA’s advanced computational design.

ZHA also exhibited the firm’s designs for Napoli Porta Est masterplan adjacent to the city’s railway station that encourages the sustainable transformation of Napoli’s derelict industrial zone, and the renovation of Monaco’s first high rise building. ZHA’s refurbishment of Le Schuylkill Tower respects the legacy of this 62-year-old structure in Monte Carlo while raising the design quality of its accommodation.


About Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation

Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) was established in 2001 to create a thriving I&T ecosystem grooming 13 unicorns, more than 15,000 research professionals and over 2,400 technology companies from 26 countries and regions focused on developing health tech, AI and robotics, fintech and smart city technologies, etc.

Our growing innovation ecosystem offers comprehensive support to attract and nurture talent, accelerate and commercialise innovation for technology ventures, with the I&T journey built around our key locations of Hong Kong Science Park in Pak Shek Kok, InnoCentre in Kowloon Tong and three modern InnoParks in Tai Po, Tseung Kwan O and Yuen Long realising a vision of new industrialisation for Hong Kong, where sectors including advanced manufacturing, micro-electronics and biotechnology are being reimagined.

Hong Kong Science Park Shenzhen Branch in Futian, Shenzhen plays positive roles in connecting the world and the mainland with our proximity, strengthening cross-border exchange to bring advantages in attracting global talent and allowing possibilities for the development of technology companies in seven key areas: Medtech, big data and AI, robotics, new materials, microelectronics, fintech and sustainability, with both dry and wet laboratories, co-working space, conference and exhibition facilities, and more.

Through our R&D infrastructure, startup support and enterprise services, commercialisation and investment expertise, partnership networks and talent traction, HKSTP continues contribute in establishing I&T as a pillar of growth for Hong Kong.

More information about HKSTP is available at www.hkstp.org.

About D-Shape

D-Shape is a pioneering startup in large-scale binder jetting 3D printing, specialising in eco-friendly marine structures that enhance biodiversity and coastal resilience. Co-founded by Enrico Dini and Mario Nuzzolese, D-Shape operates across Europe and Asia, with over 500 installations worldwide. As part of the HKSTP ecosystem, the company merges cutting-edge research with scalable manufacturing to deliver sustainable solutions for marine conservation. Its Vitareef division empowers communities to print nature-inclusive habitats, driving global ecological innovation. www.d-shape.com/