TAIWAN TOWER
ARCHITECTURE-LANDSCAPE
Taiwan Tower
mq.18,600 High 390 m.
Taiwan 2011
Destined to be portal to a new vibrant area of production, trade-economic, research, the tower with charismatic character plays a spectacular, alluring role of landmark. Its openness at center symbolically alludes to international collaborations the multi-purpose park will demand.The building rises slender, featuring 400m vertically, expressing the same vitality and vibrant energy the island of Taiwan has demonstrated in innovation and formidable achievements.Five floors are occupied by the Museum of Taichung City Development: showcase of memory and history, where citizens can learn and identify with the city they live in.A delicated encarved pattern for the external skin wants to be a tribute to the quality of artisans and craftmen, an homage to the art tradition, embodied by the Museum, copuled with the most recent engineering achievements. The ornament, composed of ‘wan zi’ represents the number 10.000, with an auspicious meaning, a wish for eternal long life. Beyond the symbolism, the perforation, more or less dense, according with a structural analysis, allows the building to breathe. The semi-permeable membrane protects from sunlight, insuring visual continuity between interior and exterior. The design of the tower exploits the wind as a free energy source: through the aperture the strong winds of Taiwan will be channeled and converted to produce green power energy.Three panoramic, energy efficient lifts on both side of the tower will connect the base directly to the observatory platform and sky-garden on top. A regenerative converter transforms the potential energy into electricity, clean power. The slow speed of the lifts allows visitors to fully taste the breathtaking view of the outdoor scenery.