Structure
★Retention Balls
The Aqueduct Grate is designed to be wide near the bottom and narrow at the top. This specific design is essential to the JW Eco-Technology Pavement, and there is another feature of the Aqueduct that is just as important to the structure – the water retention balls that have truly become the key to building a wetland beneath the city.
The water retention balls are about the size of a ping-pong ball. They are hollow plastic balls with five holes on either side. Mr. Jui-Wen Chen asked us not to underestimate the look and design of these water retention balls, for they can have amazing impact on our environment.
The water retention balls are added into the gravel layer. Rainwater can make its way into the balls through the holes on the balls; thus, this increases the amount of water that can be stored underneath the surface of the pavement. Furthermore, microorganisms can thrive in the hollow spaces and continue to help clean the air as well as strengthen the ecosystem.
Depending on the needs of each area, there are five different types of water retention balls for different purposes:
1. Red balls: These completely hollow balls serve to increase water storage.
2. Green balls: Containing the ash of burned rice hull, these balls serve to provide nutrient and a suitable environment for microorganisms.
3. Blue balls: Containing sponges, these balls serve to retain water for a long period of time in a dry area.
4. Black balls: Containing charcoal, these balls serve to detoxify water and air with heavy metals and other pollutants.
5. White balls: Containing soil of the pavement site, these balls serve to return the ecosystem and biodiversity to its original state.
From the designs of the Aqueduct Grate and the water retention balls, we can see Jui-Wen Chen is a talented inventor who is very insightful and thinks carefully and thoroughly. His work reflects his concern and respect for the environment, and he constantly tries to find the best way for humans and the natural world to live peacefully together.
By Kevin Chang