Architect of harmony

When people walk into the main area of the biodiversity exhibition at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, or COP 15, in Kunming, Yunnan province, one of the first things to catch their eye is a 3,000-square-meter art installation, Future City Garden: Nature and City, designed by British architect Laurie Chetwood. The application of architecture, gardening and environmental protection is an essential part of his design of this unique installation for the conference－using artistic means to convey the idea of "co-building a global ecological civilization and protecting global biodiversity".

The artwork is centered on the Sun Plaza, a space which represents the sun as the source of all life on Earth. It has been designed to demonstrate alternative sustainable sources of power. There is even a "sun" in the plaza. A hydrogen fuel cell supplies power to the gardens, purifying the air in the process. The by-product from the power provided is water, not carbon dioxide. The "sun" demonstrates how photovoltaic panels can also provide power for irrigation, mist showers and lighting.

The "sun" is at the center of five gardens which radiate from the orb and represent the five strands of Abraham Maslow (1908-70). The scientist from the United States famously established a hierarchy of needs: water, food, shelter, air and sleep－the fundamental physiological needs that humans share with most other living beings and showing humans are not separate from nature. Each garden is divided by a series of fins which, at their highest, epitomize the city and demonstrate how nature can exist in harmony with urban life. As the gardens and some of the planting radiate from the center of the Sun Plaza, the urban nature of the design becomes more natural and less urban.