Human / Storage - the H.I.V.E. system

Abstract

The method of road widening is rarely the suitable option for the already developed inner city. Expansion or upgrade for traffic facilities has predominately taken place skyward over pre-existing roads in a multi-layer scale. Flyovers, viaducts or overpasses, whilst all these vehicle bridges assist the arteries of the city in reducing traffic congestion, the tradeoff is the wasted space beneath. With the exception of small portion of spaces required at the abutments for the supporting piers to prop-up the bridge slabs, the majority of spaces beneath the traffic viaducts serve little purpose.

Under-bridge space is the only available land in the city that does not appeal to developers. The government deems the best land use activity to be public spaces, such as parks, recreation, public toilet or with those smaller spaces, planted areas. However I see more potential in these spaces as useful resources that will not just mitigate the housing problem, but may also hold the key to transform the city into a future Utopia. In this thesis, I will demonstrate the significance of the housing shortage problem in Hong Kong, how is it affecting the people and the city, then give an example of how the ideal city may look like, how this may be achieved, and demonstrate what role the under-bridge spaces will pay in the shaping of the future city.