Robotic Fabrication Lab HKU has created a beach-side seating solution that calls ecology into question.

The tidal stool is a design made of 3D-printed terracotta that invites users to sit and enjoy the beach, while also serving as a critical commentary on shoreline maintenance in Hong Kong.

During high tide, the stool is partially submerged in water, while at low tide it reveals a design of intricate spaces and crevices born of a desire to provide shelter for sea creatures.

The project brings together two different ecologies, the anthropocentric and the natural environment, to unite rather than separate through artificial intervention.

This project has been longlisted in the furniture design category of Dezeen Awards 2022.

Designer: Robotic Fabrication Lab HKU with Center for Chinese Architecture and Urbanism, HKU

Project: Tidal Stool