Breathing Lake
A Rural Adaptive Self-circulating Natural-Social System Welcoming Water Dynamics
A. Huang (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
I. Bobbink – Mentor (TU Delft - Landscape Architecture)
U.D. Hackauf – Mentor (TU Delft - Environmental Technology and Design)
O. Ioannou – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Architectural Technology)
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Abstract
Poyang Lake is a seasonal lake located in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. During the wet season in summer, it reaches its largest water surface and highest water level, appearing as a lake. Conversely, during the dry season in winter, it shrinks to its smallest surface area and lowest water level, resembling a river.
Local people utilized the unique seasonal hydrological processes, topography, and natural resources of Poyang Lake to develop the traditional water system, a cyclic production system adapted to water dynamics. Agriculture is developed in the polder during the wet season, fishery in the sub-lake during the dry season, and animal husbandry in the wetland, while taking into account the harmonious coexistence with migratory birds and the recycling of resources. This system embodies the original systematic and dynamic thinking of local residents about the landscape and realizes the harmonious relationship between humans and nature in the context of that time.
However, due to the emergence of new influences in the new era, Poyang Lake has faced numerous challenges, including floods, droughts, ecological degradation, and loss of livelihood. As one of the world's most important habitats for migratory birds, Poyang Lake holds significant ecological value. Its unique and varied landscape typologies also contribute to its spatial value. Therefore, this thesis aims to address these issues through landscape architectural tools to enhance ecological value, improve human livelihoods, and ensure the spatial interest of Poyang Lake.
The design project is grounded in systemic thinking, focusing on water, ecology, and livelihood as its main dimensions. It introduces the concept of a rural self-circulation and mediation system, aiming to harmonize the relationship between people and water, as well as between humans and nature, and to operate and circulate autonomously, revitalizing rural areas while protecting the city. The system utilizes the three major landscape typologies of Poyang Lake—polder, sub-lake, and wetland—as spatial carriers, and is designed with continuous scales. Based on specific strategies and design frameworks, diverse spatial principles are logically integrated to ultimately establish a sustainable circular landscape system.