"该项目为如何实施滨水设计提供了模板。" – 2018 年评奖委员会

"It’s a template for how to do waterfront design." -2018 Awards Jury

国家水族馆坐落在巴尔的摩一个典型的后工业城市滨海区。全球性的行动力和栖息地方面的专业度使其在改善城市水质的实践中发挥着重要作用。基于将园区转变为活跃实验室的终极目标，水族馆与众多设计师、工程师以及研究人员组成团队，共同致力于研究新型技术，以创造更多可持续和高性能的漂浮湿地。

The National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland sits on a typical post-industrial urban waterfront. Their unique position as global actors and habitat experts makes them well positioned to be an agent of change for urban water quality. With an ultimate goal of transforming their campus into a living lab, the Aquarium teamed with designers, engineers, and researchers to investigate new technologies to produce a more sustainable and high-performing floating wetland.

内港发展时间轴：马里兰州巴尔的摩内港是最早转型为文化设施的后工业滨水区之一。然而，港口的再开发并没有解决自然系统退化和水质差的问题。Inner Harbor Timeline. The Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland was one of the first post-industrial waterfronts to be turned into a cultural amenity. However, the redevelopment of the harbor did nothing to address the harbor’s degraded natural systems or its poor water quality.

国家水族馆的使命是保护全世界珍贵的水生生物，它坐落在巴尔的摩内港的黄金位置，计划通过新的园区景观来促进本地实践，凸显出切萨皮克湾栖息地的重要地位，主要的措施包括引入一种独特的、可恢复的浮动潮汐沼泽生态系统。这一类型的栖息地能够维持原生沼泽植被的生长，并为切萨皮克湾河口区域的多种生物提供不可或缺的生存条件。借助这种将自然湿地与工程化解决方案相结合的方法，潮汐漂浮湿地将有效地使城市水质得到改善。

要实现这一遍及整个园区的宏观计划，第一步是要确保设计提案能够对水质产生切实而有意义的改变。国家水族馆团队正致力于研究各项干预措施的维度和空间细节，同时建立一套评判标准，以充分地验证这些措施是否能够帮助增强生物多样性、改善水质并实现弹性恢复，最终为园区未来的解决方案提供知识储备和支持。

原型研究对以下因素进行了评估：1. 栖息地构建能力 – 在典型的盐沼环境中构建可持续小环境（microhabitats）的能力。 . 湿地恢复能力 – 提高传统漂浮湿地系统的生命周期，实现可调节的浮力，从而减少生物积累带来的额外重量。 . 水质 – 通过由空气扩散器组成的网络来调节浅层水道中的溶解氧和水分运动，并在溶解氧较低的环境下为水生生物提供生存条件。

湿地被分为不同的层次，以模拟在切萨皮克湾河口区域的潮汐沼泽中观察到的小环境。每块湿地被设置在预定好的深度，以支持水面上方和下方不同的栖息条件。湿地区域之间的水道则模仿了小型的潮汐运河。

结构化的漂浮湿地通过嵌入浮力泡沫实现了介质的分层，水上和水下的高度分别为 3 英寸，超出阈值的部分则是连续的固体材料。这种漂浮湿地在整个生命周期中将一直起到结构平台的作用。水泥粘合层的使用则可以使紫外线降解的时间得以延长。

湿地的嵌板（最大尺寸为 5×12 英尺）使用了层状的无纺聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯（PET 介质）材料，以 1.5 英寸的厚度为单位堆叠而成，能够准确模拟出小环境的地质状况。模块内镶嵌的泡沫有助于控制静态浮力的储备。

1. 浮力泡沫如何影响植被的生长和蔓延？ . 什么样的表面材料（或覆层）拥有最佳的耐久性以及保持浅水砂层的能力？ . 在没有潮汐波动的情况下，潮间带生物存活的理想水深范围是多少？ . 高位盐沼群落存活率最高的区域海拔是多少？ . 考虑到牡蛎是一个重要的物种，在策略性区域（河口地带）的牡蛎群是否会吸引更多物种进入该结构？

浮动湿地的拴系和锚固系统必须具备抵御风浪以及流载荷的能力，并且能够保证湿地能够轻松应对每日的潮汐波动。该原型需要通过设计好的浮选装置来保证湿地的稳定性，并且要使嵌板与吃水线之间的距离（freeboard）尽可能降低。

沼泽层的最高处仅高出水面 6 英寸，中间部分则几乎完全是可渗透的空隙。储备浮力的缺失使湿地的稳定性低于大多数传统的浮动结构（如浮动船坞和驳船等）。这种内在稳定性的缺失会为带有独立浮力系统的浮动结构赋予更高的敏感度。

浮筒浮力控制系统-- 每个浮筒的顶部都装有充气软管，底部则配有压载水软管。这些软管延伸至湿地的边缘，操作者可根据需要开启或关闭阀门，将空气推入或排出浮筒，以控制浮筒内部的水位和湿地的漂浮高度。

PET 介质中的储备浮力系统 – 位于 PET 介质层中的储备浮力系统是浮力设计中最为敏感的一环。由于浮力会受到失水重量的直接影响，湿地的储备浮力被控制得尽可能小，从而抵消来自维护工人和波浪的额外重量。相应地，在吃水线的边缘处，PET 介质中的孔洞会被喷膜密闭泡沫填充。

静态浮力系统和压载重量

▲生物多样性目标：随着栖息地的流失和污染物流入港口，物种多样性变得越来越少。是否可以通过改善水质来促进本地物种的回流，并增加生物多样性？

Biodiversity Goals. Species diversity has diminished over time with habitat loss and polluted runoff entering the harbor. Could improved water quality and artificial habitats foster a return of native species and increase biodiversity?

▲水质现状分析：溶解氧含量是衡量水质的重要指标。在较温暖的月份，港口过多的养分（来自雨水径流）会激化藻类种群的大量繁衍。由此而产生的水华将吞噬水体中可用的氧气，导致鱼类的死亡。

Existing water quality analysis. Dissolved oxygen levels in the harbor are an important indicator of water quality. In warmer months, the harbor’s excessive nutrients (from stormwater runoff) can fuel an explosion of algae populations. The resulting algal bloom removes available oxygen from the water column, which in turn causes a fish-kill.

▲传统漂浮湿地的生命周期：漂浮湿地的引入开始让巴尔的摩港的环境恢复到城市化之前的状态。不过，传统漂浮湿地的寿命很短，在经济上不可持续。若要将其生命周期延长至 15 年乃至 30 年，需要利用哪些综合性的技术呢？

The lifecycle of a traditional floating wetland. The introduction of floating wetlands to the harbor has begun to reestablish conditions that existed before Baltimore’s urbanization. However, the short life-cycle of conventional floating wetland is not economically sustainable. What integrated technologies are necessary to extend their lifecycle to 15 years? To 30 years?

▲园区的长期规划：国家水族馆的长期目标是吸引游客、激发保护行动、恢复生态系统以及促进社区参与。园区规划的核心内容是构建一个面积为半英亩的漂浮盐沼。

Long-term campus vision. The long-term goals of the National Aquarium are to welcome and engage visitors, inspire conservation action, restore ecosystems, and foster community engagement. The centerpiece of its reimagined campus will be a half-acre floating salt marsh.

▲漂浮盐沼的剖面图。研究团队与国家水族馆共同为漂浮盐沼制定了功能目标，从而设计出一个尺度较小的原型。该原型旨在对各项技术进行测试和校准，以最大程度地加强生态影响。

Section of floating salt-marsh. The research team worked with the National Aquarium to define performance goals for the floating wetland, which informed the design of a smaller prototype. The prototype was designed to test and calibrate technologies in order to maximize ecological impact.

▲设计原型与计划建造的漂浮盐沼的比例对比。原型的尺寸是实际湿地面积的 1/25。场地中既有的码头桩基和人行天桥被结合到设计当中，使公众能够获得高处的视野。探测站被安装于原型之前，以便收集基线数据并测量原型对于水质的影响。

The scale of the prototype relative to the planned floating salt-marsh. The prototype is 1/25 the size of the future wetland. Its location utilizes remnant dock piles and an existing pedestrian bridge to provide elevated public viewing. A Sonde station nearby was installed a year before the prototype was installed in order to collect baseline data and measure the impact of the prototype on water quality.

▲漂浮湿地原型的植被种植方法：湿地上计划种植切萨皮克湾区的原生物种，并基于淹没水位对其进行分层。四个植被区域为植物各类物种提供了多样化的栖息地。

Floating wetland prototype planting approach. The planting plan uses native Chesapeake Bay species and stratifies them by inundation level within the prototype. Four vegetation zones provide a diversity of habitats for both the plants and the organisms that call them home.

漂浮湿地原型的曝气设施：气提泵和安装在湿地边缘的曝气扩散器共同构成了灵敏的基础设施，可以阻止溶解氧含量的降低，从而避免鱼类的死亡。水的混合能够促进生物膜的形成，并在低溶解氧的环境下为物种提供必要的生存条件。

Floating wetland prototype aeration infrastructure. A combination of airlifts and perimeter aeration diffusers create responsive infrastructure that can counteract low dissolved oxygen events in the harbor before a fish kill. The mixing of water invites colonization of new biofilms and creates a refuge for species in the event of a low dissolved oxygen event.

▲可调节浮力的弹性结构：该结构通过可调节的静态浮力来抵消生物积累带来的重量。这也为湿地的维护和研究提供了便利。在湿地受到入侵物种破坏的情况下，PET 介质层可以进行模块化的替换。Floating wetland prototype adjustable buoyancy and resilient structure. The structure utilizes reserve, adjustable, and static buoyancy to counteract the accumulation of biomass. This also improves accessibility for maintenance and allows unique opportunities for research. The structure allows modular replacement of the PET growing medium if the wetlands are damaged or compromised by invasive species.

▲原型的概念化渲染图。该原型被用于测试新型技术的性能、可持续性和回弹性。

每平方英寸的湿地都将为各类生物提供生长、繁衍、换毛、产卵和捕食的条件。

Conceptual rendering of the prototype. The prototype is being used to test the performance, sustainability, and resiliency of new technologies. Every square inch of this ecological powerhouse provides opportunities for a diverse range of organisms to grow, colonize, molt, spawn, or eat.

▲原型中已经观察到的物种：研究团队对分布在漂浮湿地的所有物种进行了编录，包括一些原本被认为已经从内港消失的物种。

活跃而多样化的生物膜有着十分重要的作用，因为它们处于食物链底端，能够为各类物种提供栖息条件。

Observed species on the prototype. The research team has inventoried species colonizing all the nooks of the floating wetland including species that were believed to have altogether disappeared from the Inner Harbor. Thriving, diverse biofilms are important because they sit at the bottom of the foodchain and allow for larger species to inhabit the wetland.

▲原型中已经观察到的生物膜：在原型安装后不久之后，国家水族馆的科学家便发现了大量被漂浮湿地吸引而来的生物膜。它们的出现为更大范围种群的生长和构建更加完整的本地物种网络提供了基础。

Observed biofilms on the prototype. Shortly after the prototype was installed, scientists at the National Aquarium found a diversity of biofilms that had been attracted to the floating wetland. Their presence is the first step in broad reaching biodiversity of larger species and a more complete localized species web.

▲原型曝气系统的性能分析：该原型配备的曝气系统能够帮助缓解周围水域的低溶解氧事件，同时为狭生性物种提供理想的小环境。

Observed performance of prototype aeration system. The prototype’s integrated aeration system has helped buffer the surrounding water against low dissolved oxygen events while also providing optimal microhabitats for specialist species to occupy.

▲原型的适应性：湿地原型通过浮筒骨架进行支撑。经过分层的 PET 介质能够为不同物种提供不同高度和深度的栖息地，并模拟切萨皮克湾潮汐沼泽群落的实际环境。Prototype adaptability. The prototype is supported by a framework of buoyed pontoons and its connective skeleton. The PET medium is layered to provide habitat-specific elevations relative to the water surface and to mimic the relationships that exist in tidal marsh communities of the Chesapeake Bay.

The National Aquarium’s mission is to inspire the conservation of the world’s aquatic treasures. With its prime location on Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, the Aquarium seeks to localize this mission by implementing a new campus landscape focused on highlighting important habitats of the Chesapeake Bay, including the introduction of a uniquely resilient engineered floating tidal marsh ecosystem. This habitat will support native marsh grasses and important microhabitats vital to many of the Chesapeake Bay’s estuarine organisms. The tidal floating wetland is expected to improve water quality through the natural benefits of the wetlands combined with engineered solutions.

The first step to realizing this campus-wide initiative is confirming that the proposed design solutions will make a meaningful change to water conditions. Using a smaller-scale prototype as its basis for this research, the National Aquarium team is researching interventions, including their dimensional, spatial, and anchoring details, as well as developing performance criteria to fully investigate methods of improving biodiversity, transforming water quality, and demanding resiliency. The knowledge gained by this research will ultimately inform future campus wide solutions.

The prototype research evaluates the following criteria:1. Habitat Creation – The ability to adequately establish sustainable microhabitats present within a typical salt marsh and dramatically improve biodiversity within its urban context.

2. Wetland Resiliency – Elevate the life span from a conventional floating wetland systems to allow for adjustable buoyancy to mitigate added weight from biomass accumulation.

3. Water Quality – Integrate continuous aeration through a network of air diffusers to assist in regulating dissolved oxygen and water movement within the shallow canal and function as a refuge for aquatic organisms during low dissolved oxygen (D.O.) events.

The wetlands consist of media set at different elevations, relative to the water surface, to mimic the microhabitats observed in tidal marshes of the Chesapeake Bay estuary. The wetlands are designed to rest at a predetermined elevation in the water column to support a variety of habitat conditions, both above and below the water surface. A channel between wetland areas mimics a small tidal canal.

The structured floating wetland media is custom fabricated with the layers +/- 3″ from waterline embedded with buoyancy foam integrated into the media. Media layers outside the stated threshold are continuous solid material. The overall service life of the structured floating wetlands is a function of the structural platform. Increased longevity from UV degradation will be achieved with the application of a cementitious bonding layer.

Layered unwoven polyethelene terepthalate (PET media) is utilized as wetland panels (5 by 12 foot maximum) are fabricated by layering 1.5-inch PET media to create topographic microhabitats. Modules have internal foam for reserve static buoyancy.

1. How might the buoyancy foam impact the growth/spreading of plantings?

2. What is the best surface coatings/cover material for durability and ability to retain sand layer in the shallow canal?

3. What range of water depths are intertidal species willing to utilize without tidal fluctuations?

4. At what elevations do the high marsh communities have the highest survival rates?

5. With oyster communities being a keystone species, do clusters of oysters in strategic places (canal openings) further entice species to the structure?

The floating wetland tethering and anchorage system must be capable of resisting anticipated wind, wave, and current loads, while allowing the wetland to effortlessly respond with daily tidal fluctuation. The prototype requires designed floatation devices to maintain appropriate levels and stability when subject to environmental or personnel loads and are constrained to have very little reserve buoyancy (freeboard).

The highest elevations of the marsh levels extend a mere 6 inches above water and the medium is porous and almost entirely void space. The lack of reserve buoyancy makes the wetland less stable than most conventional floating structures (e.g., floating docks, barges, etc.). This inherent lack of stability leads to a more sensitive floating structure that has separate reserve, static, and dynamic buoyancy systems.

Pontoon Buoyancy Control System – Each pontoon is outfitted with a pneumatic air hose at the top and ballast water hose at the bottom. The hoses run to the perimeter of the wetland where an operator can open and close valves as necessary to push air into the pontoon or bleed air outwards, thereby controlling the water level in the pontoon and the floating elevation of the wetland.

Reserve Buoyancy System in PET Media – The reserve buoyancy system within the PET layer is one of the most difficult and sensitive portions of the buoyancy design