The Serpentine: A Harmonic Overtone of Nature

Architectural Services Department's Award-Winning Stargazing Landscape

Designed as a harmonious counterpart to the city's vivacity, The Serpentine draws its inspiration from the dynamic shoreline of Sai Kung. The design aims to provide a peaceful spot for the busy Hong Konger to lie down and appreciate the beauty of the night sky. Its light wood color and touch of timber grain blend seamlessly into Mother Nature, creating a natural window for both locals and tourists to rethink the image of Hong Kong.

What sets The Serpentine apart is its conscious organic necklace-form that respects the existing vegetation line of the abandoned campsite. This design allows for 360-degree stargazing year-round and achieved zero tree felling during its construction. The ergonomically designed sectional profile with reflective tips, tripod-setting hard patch, and embedded direction strips facilitate nightlong observations, making it a unique feature of this design.

The Architectural Services Department utilized parametric design tools and 3D prototyping for formal exploration and fetching the optimum sitting module profiles. The project adopted a modular, dry fixing connections and prefabricated design. Modules were fabricated off-site with high-quality assurance, and fast on-site assembly ensured minimal disturbance to the natural environment and hikers. The design chose low-maintenance Glass Reinforced Plastic for its high durability and lightweight.

The Serpentine measures 1.2m wide and 46m long in its curved form. The design caters to both amateur and professional stargazers. Amateurs can lay on the ergonomically designed bench for a wide perspective of the sky, while the central solid paved patch is designed for professionals with their tripods and long-exposure photography. Reflective direction marks are embedded on the ground for easy orientation.

The design project took place in Hong Kong over a short timeframe of six months, following two years of background, material, and technology researches. Fabrication in China took another six months, and the site installation lasted for two months. The main challenge was to strike a balance between preserving nature and providing a comfortable yet functional base for stargazing activity. Through repeated formal exploration, material trials, and manufacture process research, Glass Reinforced Resin was found to be ideal for both durability and stability, plus manufacture feasibility.

The Serpentine was awarded the Golden A' Landscape Planning and Garden Design Award in 2019, a testament to its marvelous, outstanding, and trendsetting creation that reflects the designer's prodigy and wisdom. This design advances art, science, design, and technology, embodying extraordinary excellence and significantly impacting the world with its desirable characteristics.