Once upon a time, not that long ago, a prominent section of land in Taipei, Taiwan, was home to a dreary, rundown industrial and factory region.
But through a top-to-bottom green game plan conceived by the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), architects based in Copehagen, all that grime and grit will soon be a distant memory. BIG, working with the Taiwan Land Development Corporation (TLDC), will be creating a world-class beach resort with a lengthy checklist of sustainable features.
Located on the northern coast of Taiwan, fronting the East China Sea, near the confluence of two rivers, the Hualien Beach Resort definitely has a picturesque, and prominent, location.
A low-energy master plan has been devised to block low-angle/high-glare morning and evening sun. And the resort will have green landscape stripes incorporated to create a mountain terrain of commercial and residential development that mirrors the natural mountains off in the distance.
These stripes are positioned in an east-to-west direction to frame the most dramatic views, while providing for the best shading system to offset Taiwan’s hot and humid tropical climate. With the primary harshness of the sun’s rays blocked out, more favourable north-south light will be allowed to flow into the units. Further discouraging heat gain will be a tangle of green roofs.
Upon completion, the resort will be promoted as a residential, commercial destination/tourist health spa. Three programmatic rings will intersect onsite to create three courtyards, with a shared community area at the intersection. With a network of pedestrian/bike paths weaving through the ground-level commercial space, car traffic on the site will be virtually eliminated.
The BIG design pays careful attention to green living and its benefits. The green roofs will provide shade and help to remove heat from the air through evapotranspiration. Through photosynthesis, the plants will help manufacture a healthy, oxygen-enhanced air.
The inner courtyard will be surrounded by inclining green walls as the roof meets the ground. Indoors, residents will be living next door to nature as the sloping roof gardens sweep past windows and balconies, bringing lush vegetation within reach of apartment interiors. These types of features were attained by utilizing various forms of engineering analysis conducted. Extensive wire mesh planting and rainwater collection systems were also incorporated.
All in all, BIG believes the seamless combination of architecture and nature will provide a quintessential environment for communal facilities and sustainable living … leading to a healthy and happy lifestyle.
Web: www.big.dk
