2024 Galleries
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Galleries // 2024 Spark:Spring Student // Beyond the Channel
Beyond the Channel
Entrant
Competition: Spark:Spring Student
Designer: Alexander Taeho Shim
Design Type: Ecology
Company / Organization / School: Orange Cube Art
This project addresses the issue of animal casualties in South Korea's agricultural water channels, spanning 190,825 km as of 2017, which often trap amphibians and reptiles essential for irrigation and flood control. Many channels predate wildlife protection regulations, requiring flexible retrofit solutions. The goal is to design a flexible escape route module easily integrated into existing water channels, providing safe exits for trapped animals and reducing wildlife mortality. Detailed studies will assess challenges and environmental requirements, establishing criteria for modules that are easy to manufacture, install, and adaptable to various settings using common materials and processes. Modules will attach quickly to channel walls without major modifications, ensuring versatility across different designs and conditions. This initiative aims to significantly reduce animal casualties, enhance local biodiversity, and promote ecological balance by integrating wildlife protection into agricultural infrastructure. Pilot testing in selected channels will inform design refinements before scaling up installation across the extensive network, fostering farming practices that coexist sustainably with wildlife conservation.
