The Future | Hong Kong: Regenerating Cities Through Urban Resilience Architecture
Future-ready urban resilience: A vertical seed bank blends vertical farming and architecture to safeguard biodiversity in Hong Kong.
Project by Fulya Özmen, Enes Keleşmehmet, Zeynep Çoban, Dilara Bedir, and Ömerfaruk Satçelik
People's Choice Award entry of Seed Bank
The "The Future" project in Hong Kong reimagines architecture as a vehicle for urban regeneration and resilience in the face of climate, environmental, and social crises. At the intersection of ecology and vertical urbanism, this concept champions the idea that a seed is not merely biological but symbolic of hope, continuity, and coexistence.
Rooted in the metaphor of regeneration, the design treats the seed as a narrative element within a cyclical system of urban and ecological renewal. The aim is to liberate seeds from isolated storage, instead embedding them into the urban fabric—where people, environment, and systems interact dynamically. This fusion of seed and city not only strengthens ecological infrastructure but cultivates awareness among urban residents.
Why a Seed Bank in the City?
The project responds to urgent global challenges:
- Climate Change: Extreme weather threatens plant diversity; seed banks offer a critical buffer.
- Disease: Epidemics can wipe out staple crops, endangering food security.
- Natural Disasters: Local ecosystems can collapse without intervention.
- War: Conflict zones often lose vital plant species; stored seeds enable regeneration.
Seed banks in urban cores are a proactive strategy within urban resilience architecture, allowing rapid access and participation in ecological restoration.
Urban Context and Project Location
Located in the heart of Hong Kong, the seed bank site sits between the dense vertical landscape of the financial district and the forested green zone, positioning the project as a bridge between nature and metropolis. Forest and mountain have sacred meanings for city dwellers here, often seen as the island's sanctuary. By opening up this urban 'wall' and embedding a green program, the seed bank honors local spatial values.
The selected site includes Queen Victoria Street, Des Voeux Road, Jubilee Street, and Queen's Road—crucial urban corridors with tight fabric, minimal green space, and limited walkability. This made the site ideal for a restorative intervention.
Program and Spatial Strategy
The architectural concept is vertically stratified into distinct layers:
- Underground: Seed storage vaults, laboratories, ventilation centers
- Ground Level: Urban square, public gathering space, seed swap bazaar
- Above Ground: Three towers—one for offices and seed exchange, two for vertical agriculture
Seed labs and warehouses are tucked underground for climate protection and security. Above, a pedestrian-friendly green plaza hosts exhibitions and public education programs. The tower complex brings seed activities into public consciousness. Citizens can observe and participate in food production, seed regeneration, and sharing activities.
Key Features
- Urban Agriculture: Vertical farms ensure hyperlocal food production
- Seed Cycling System: A 4-step regenerative process—storage, analysis, regeneration, and re-storage
- Sustainability Systems:Double-Skin Facade: Insulation against extreme climate conditionsRainwater Harvesting: Purification and use for irrigationProtection Infrastructure: Underground storage protects against environmental threats
- Double-Skin Facade: Insulation against extreme climate conditions
- Rainwater Harvesting: Purification and use for irrigation
- Protection Infrastructure: Underground storage protects against environmental threats
The design transforms static infrastructure into dynamic, living architecture that adapts to ongoing environmental needs—aligning with global sustainability goals.
The Role of Architecture in Regeneration
This project is a vision of architecture as ecology. Rather than isolating built form from the environment, the seed bank interweaves public life with regenerative processes. The architecture becomes both container and catalyst—hosting cycles of growth, knowledge exchange, and ecological stewardship.
In a city defined by its verticality and economic density, this proposal creates space for biodiversity, education, and hope. As such, it redefines the future of urban resilience architecture—not only by storing the seeds of plants, but by seeding a new model of sustainable, participatory urbanism.
