Conceptual Design Invitation for Heart of the Capital: A Vision for Transforming Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Park
● Statement
Taiwan went through 38 years of martial law, during which the longest-serving president was Chiang Kai-shek. Over the years, the Taiwan civic society has subjected the memorial park built in memory of Chiang Kai-shek, located in the heart of Taipei City, to lots of discussion and contestation in terms of its use, functions, and symbolic meaning. In view of these debates, the Taiwan Alliance For Architectural Modernity, the Chinese Institute of Urban Design, and the Taiwan Institute of Landscape Architects have jointly organized the Conceptual Design Competition for Heart of the Capital: A Vision for Transforming Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Park. Even though the competition is just a call for ideas, it is the hope of the organizers that these ideas could be a catalyst for further discussions in society. The ideas, transformed from words to concepts, from descriptions to illustrations, seek to build a social consensus that leads to future spatial transformation.
In recent years, the Taiwanese society has been actively engaged in conversations on issues such as transitional justice, the future of the ordinary citizen, and the projected image of the capital city. The vibrancy of the exchanges does not merely reflect the capacity of the Taiwanese society to hold diverse dialectics but also presents challenges to professionals working with urban public spaces. These professionals are now tasked to reexamine the sites that were created during the authoritarian rule of the 19th and 20th centuries, as they consider how to create visions of contemporary life and a city of the future. In addition, they also have to find a way to allow the heart of the capital city to move away from being a physical embodiment of authoritarian rule and regime. Only after the transformation of the site can the above visions of the public domain be realized.
As a result, this competition invites artists to imagine a future space that allows the hearts of citizens to join as one. This way, the new vision of CKS Memorial Hall would become part of an open dialogue and the visual experience brought on by the competition would in turn facilitate more discussions and provide more stimuli pertaining to the issue of urban transformation. This process of reflection will hence engender yet another round of social conversation. The competition aims to attract diverse proposals that suggest a multitude of ways to transform this public space while taking into account the complex social context of Taiwan, in order that even more perspectives for debate can emerge. At the end of the day, we hope that such a process would shape an image of Taiwan's capital city that represents the hope of the people today, allows societal values to progress, and realizes this generation's imagining of the future.
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● Design Topics
This call for entries attaches great importance to the designer's reflections on history and culture, the creativity of their spatial design, and the feasibility of long-term applicability of their conceptual design. Participating individuals and teams are also encouraged to be part of various Public Participation activities organized by the event committee.
Since the CKS Memorial Hall is a major landmark in the heart of Taiwan's capital, the design proposal must be viable for a diverse range of day-to-day functions, incorporating responses to social relations, interpretations of history, cultural symbols, and contemporary issues. The architectural space can then be a force that shapes contemporary urban life and at the same time creates new value for society. Therefore, designs entered into the competition should cover the following aspects: Fresh Interpretations, Spatial Transformation, and New Usage.
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1. Fresh Interpretations
Fresh interpretations of the CKS Memorial Hall must be rooted in the historical context of the site.Changes proposed are to be substantive and seek to remove signs of authoritarianism, engage in dialogue with history, observe the values of democracy and freedom in contemporary society, meet the diverse and varied lifestyle needs of citizens, and respond to major social issues. Such an approach would enable the idea of transformation to gain a foothold in present-day society and, subsequently, empower the society to stride confidently into the future.
2. Spatial Transformation
In view of the geographical particularity of the locale and the forward-looking nature of Taipei City’s cultural strategies, the proposal should contain specific suggestions on both the functions of and meaning behind the revamped CKS Memorial Hall, and all proposed changes should be made with a thorough consideration of the spatial characteristics and character of the architecture. When exploring the relationship between specific architectural elements and space, designers ought to also consider the unique urban synergy between public space and civil society, nearby communities, and ecology.
3. New Usage
The proposal should introduce novel ideas for the CKS Memorial Hall and its surrounding site by proposing new uses of the space. The ideas, which shall anticipate the needs of the future urban dwellers, mediate between the various interactions in the public space, and suggest a mechanism for sustainable operation of the site, could create new possibilities in terms of the services rendered by and functions of the CKS Memorial Hall.
Note: In order to allow more creative ideas to be brought into play and more voices to be heard in this social dialogue, entries submitted do not need to take regulations into consideration governing the management of public spaces, such as cultural assets, urban planning, and urban design.
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● For whom
1. Student Category
This category is open to students enrolled in senior high school or tertiary institutions. Fresh graduates who have just graduated in 2022 are also eligible. There are no restrictions on nationalities. Interested parties may participate as individuals or groups. Groups with members of diverse backgrounds are encouraged to participate.
2.Open Category
Interested parties may participate as individuals, groups, legal persons, or corporate units. At least one member of the team needs to be a professional in spatial design or related fields. There are no restrictions on nationalities. Interested parties may participate as individuals or groups. Groups with members of diverse backgrounds are encouraged to participate.
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● Format
1. Student Category
A. Preliminaries: 1 A1 drawing or a video under 3 minutes in length (maximum 100 MB). Participants may choose to submit either one or both of the above with an accompanying write-up (within 800 words).
B. Finals: Shortlisted entries are to be supported with additional illustrations. Participants shall submit 3 A1 drawings or a video under 6 minutes in length, and do a 15-minute oral presentation as part of the judging process.
C. Jury's Choice Awards (Top Five): Top five finalists are to submit a model or a multi-media work with a maximum dimension of 2m x 2m x 2m for the Competition Showcase.
2. Open Category
A. Preliminaries: 1 to 3 A1 drawings or a video under 3 minutes in length (maximum 100 MB). Participants may choose to submit either one or both of the above with an accompanying write-up (within 800 words). The drawings or videos submitted must contain a presentation of the conceptual design in any form (e.g. titles, diagrams, sketches, 3D modeling, floorplans, cross-sectional drawings, elevation views, photographs, etc.).
B. Finals: Shortlisted entries are to be supported with additional illustrations. Participants shall submit 3 to 5 A1 drawings and/or a video under 6 minutes in length (participants may choose to submit either one or both of the above) and do a 15-minute oral presentation as part of the judging process.
C. Jury's Choice Awards (Top Five): Top five finalists are to submit a model or a multi-media work with a maximum dimension of 2m x 2m x 2m for the Competition Showcase.
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● Submission
After the work is completed, participants must provide the electronic file(s) required for their category. The content of the submission shall fulfill the following criteria:
1. The work should clearly express the designer's ideas. The content is to be either in English only or in Chinese with an accompanying English translation.
2. Drawings are to be submitted PDF files with a resolution of 300dpi. Videos are to be submitted as MP4 or MOV files.
3. The submitted work must not contain any information or symbols, such as names or the logos of schools, companies, or organizations, that could reveal the identities or affiliations of the participants.
4. Electronic files entered into the competition are to be put into the same folder and
uploaded to the cloud storage system provided by the organizer. After the files have been successfully uploaded, participants are to send the file download link to info@vipassanacreative.com. Both the name of the folder and the subject of the email shall be identical and be in the following format: "Category, Team name, Title of work, Submission for Transforming CKS Memorial Hall" (e.g. Open Category, Team Alpha, A New Future, Submission for Transforming CKS Memorial Hall).
5. Submission deadline: 23:59 pm, Thursday, November 10, 2022, midnight. No late entries will be entertained.
6. The organizer will notify finalists on how to submit the additional materials for the Finals.
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● Awards
1. Student Category
15 individuals/groups will be selected for the Preliminaries. Each individual/group will be awarded NT$150,000. The top 5 entries will be selected by the judges in the Finals, and each of these 5 individuals/groups will receive NT$300,000, which includes the subsidies for the costs of materials and production of the project. All shortlisted projects and winners of the Jury's Choice Award will be showcased in the Competition Showcase held after the judging.
2. Open Category
15 individuals/groups will be selected for the Preliminaries. Each individual/group will be awarded NT$150,000. The top 5 entries will be selected by the judges in the Finals, and each of these 5 individuals/groups will receive NT$300,000, which includes the subsidies for the costs of materials and production of the project. All shortlisted projects and winners of the Jury's Choice Award will be showcased in the Competition Showcase held after the judging.
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● Jury
Chairperson
Tan Hochen
1. Jury for the Preliminaries
Hai-Ming Huang, Jeffrey Hou, Monica Kuo, Nancy Lin, Sheng-Yuan Huang, Shi-Ping Tsai, Shu- Cheng Tseng, Tan Hochen, Tsui-Lien Chen, Wei-Hsiung Chan.
(In alphabetical order)
2. Jury for the Finals
Andres Lepik, Cheng-Yi Huang, Ching-Chuan Lin, Chun-Tei Tseng, Ming-Hung Wang, Mun-Lee Lin, Shu-Cheng Tseng, Tan Hochen, Terunobu Fujimori
(In alphabetical order)
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● Criteria
▍ Preliminaries
Response to design topics
▍ Finals
1. Response to design topics
2. Understanding and analysis of the site and historical context
3. Clear expression of creative ideas and discourse
4. Public participation
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● Schedule
• Deadline for submission for Preliminaries: Nov 10, 2022
• Announcement of Finalists: Dec 1, 2022
• Deadline for submission for Finals: Feb 15, 2023
• Final Judging: Late Feb 2023
• Announcement of Winners: Mar 10, 2023
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Important dates
• Public Participation: Jul 2022 to Jun 30, 2023
• Competition Showcase: Apr 7, 2023 to Jun 30, 2023
• Design Forum: April - May 2023
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＊ Contact
If you have any questions, please contact the organizing committee of the Conceptual Design Competition for Heart of the Capital: A Vision for Transforming Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Park. E-mail: info@vipassanacreative.com
＊ Relevant Information
Official Website: https://transckspark.tw/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/transckspark
Under the purview of Ministry of Culture ,Taiwan R.O.C.
Organized by Taiwan Alliance For Architectural Modernity, Chinese Institute of Urban Design,
Taiwan Institute of Landscape Architects
Executive Office：Vipassana Creative Co.
Download the information related to this competition here.
Title
Conceptual Design Competition for Heart of the Capital : A Vision for Transforming Chiang Kai- Shek Memorial HallType
Competition Announcement (Ideas)Organizers
Submission Deadline
November 10, 2022 11:59 PMVenue
National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial HallPrice
Free