Designed by BAT, their proposal for the new City Cultural Center grows from the earth, with the strength of the sea and mountains, to show to the world how Taiwan is; how Taichung is. The design uses this strength to configure an astonishing landscape architecture able to project the cultural center internationally. More images and architects' description after the break.
Taiwan, land of sea, land of mountains, where amazing forms and landscape have been formed by the action of natural forces. Waves, tides, coast, prairies, mountains, mountain ridges.Sea people, land people, strong, tenacious, tireless. People of Taiwan.
The view from “Taichung Gateway Park” shows how land raises, configuring wavy shapes, showing the folds of the tectonic plates that shaped the island of Taiwan. It brings to our memory the wonderful mountain landscapes in Taiwan, including their famous tea fields. “Taichung Gateway Park” and the new “City Cultural Center” put together into a unique landscape, giving a united answer to the project site. The paths that define the design of “Taichung Gateway Park” show us, in almost a natural way, the access to the new “City Cultural Center”. A direct and clear relationship between the park and the competition purpose is managed by the use of open and clear flows.
The view from Park Avenue 2 is completely different. The winding bodies that grow from the park start to open, and finish drawing us shapes that remind us of the sea. Images of the waves breaking into the shore, and sea breeze stroking our faces. The building shows itself this way, facing the city in an open and permeable way, looking for an intense relationship with it.
The formalization of the building is managed by the concatenation of a structure of great depth laminated wood beams. They are disposed each one meter and joined with lateral connectors. Apart from the structural duty, these connectors are used to carry some of the building systems. Different roof coverings are disposed depending on the interior requirements. Most of the roof surface is covered by a green carpet, but we also find glass surfaces for providing light to the interior spaces, solar panels or wooden paved areas.
Most of the energetic and sustainability requirements are managed in the depth of the ribs, thanks to their studied shape and section. The different air chambers, doors and discharge systems provided, in addition to a computerized management will allow the thermal, lighting and acoustic control, becoming the building a worldwide green building reference.
A big meeting space or plaza has been proposed to connect Taichung Gateway Park and Park Avenue 2. It’s configured as the union of two great halls, one from the park and the other one from the avenue. The green path coming from the park is introduced into this space, and it shades as it reaches the avenue, where it earns a more urban aspect. It is here where the entries of the two buildings are placed.
The Museum
From this plaza, it is possible to contemplate the great glass façade behind which the museum is placed. This glass façade, built using the latest technologies in curtain walls, has different clarity and U.V. protection levels. By using internal projectors, games with clarity, light and shadow try to provide effects we could find in Chinese shadows. At night, the façade could offer us different images that could advertise the events inside.
The building aims to show itself as a Culture Temple, and internal spaces have been carefully designed in order to get to it. The museum hall, great triple-height hall, welcomes the visitor with a great shocking vision. The visitor will find here the museum shop, the museum reception and the stairs that go up to the Education and Research spaces.
The different floors of the museum are organized into horizontal soft-shaped slabs. Their limits don`t touch neither the façade nor the rib-structure, leaving between them empty spaces that give the building the spatial richness befitting a museum.
The Library
The future library, destined to become one of the most important in Taiwan, is organized around the great hall. This hall is to provide the visitor the role of literacy for humanity. Thus there has been conceived a vacuum that connects all floors.
Architects
Location
Taichung, TaiwanArchitecture Team
Peru Cañada Omagogeascoa, Xabier Arranz Diez, Alejandro Iturbe Legasa, Julen Quevedo Corral, Jon Andoni Iparraguirre Apraiz, Ubay Calle GarciaCollaborators
Borja García, Igor Gonzalez, Rodrigo Cearra, Joseba Salbide, Ander Barandiaran, Imanol GoenagaProject Year
2013Photographs
Courtesy of BAT (Bilbao Architecture Team)
