Connect Through the HKUST Recycled Acacia Wood Souvenir and Furniture
The much-loved mature Acacia tree grove across from Shaw Auditorium made way for the construction of the new Martin Ka Shing Lee Innovation Building in late 2022. At the start of 2024, campus users can begin to appreciate the beauty and heritage of these beautiful trees in their new forms on campus at the newly renovated Student Center interior works, furniture at the HKUST offices, acknowledgement plaques around campus, and other installations.
Together with more wood recycled from felled mature Acacia confusa trees of the Senior Staff Quarters, our wood resources has now been expanded. The latest form takes the shape of customized souvenirs that can be offered to speakers, guests and partners, as a token of appreciation for their invaluable contribution. These have been featured in “A Conversation with Founding HKUST President – Prof. Chia-Wei Woo”, “Kick-Off Ceremony of Global Service Day”, and “HKUST x France “Green Finance: The Way Forward” and will also be featured in the upcoming “Unicorn Day” and “Sustainable Design Thinking Certificate Programme”. This special souvenir further extends and builds on the connection to HKUST and shares over 30 years of HKUST heritage. In a recent event, our founding president shared that he was thrilled to receive this meaningful souvenir.
Research shows that the built environment can have an influence on university students emotional stress, happiness, stimulation, cognitive function, social support, belonging. Preference studies found that students prefer through the adoption of natural and local materials strategy among other biophilic design strategies. These were found to enhance nature connectedness, facilitating “non-rhythmic sensory stimuli, place attachment and favorable workplaces”. (Peters & Penna, Sustainability 2020, 12, 7064) Beyond the sample furniture pieces found in the Student Center and the Sustainability / Net-Zero office, the various HKUST offices and schools are currently working on extending the usage of our recycled HKUST wood around campus. Stay tune for more furniture in our courtyards and other spaces around campus. If you have ideas on space design and the use of recycled wood around campus, please share them with us.
Other Stories
Innovation Building and the Acacia Tree Grove
Where Are Innovation Building’s Acacia Trees? The Story of Trees to Wood Paneling
The New Student Center: Promoting Belongingness Through Acacia Wood
