Hyper Sponge is a proposal for the ecological restoration of Kuala Lumpur’s urban villages, which are increasingly impacted by flooding and deteriorating conditions. Rather than the disruptive and unequal practice of water displacement, Hyper Sponge works with nature’s systems and embraces a simple principle: water should be contained where it lands. The infrastructure is designed to enhance natural infiltration by perforating the ground with more porous aggregates. While subterranean interventions such as an infiltration pile contains these aggregates, sculptural columns are mirrored above ground, erupting onto a landscape that draws visibility to the infrastructure and fosters civic interaction.
Participant
JIA WEI HUANG, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 1997. Lives and works in London, UK.
Technical Collaborators
Jason Lee, Josu Engineering Construction; Jin Cheng, BHW Express
WORK CONCEIVED AND PRODUCED THANKS TO THE PROGRAMME BIENNALE COLLEGE ARCHITETTURA 2024–25, LA BIENNALE DI VENEZIA
