flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

MVRDV to turn outdated Taiwanese mall into urban lagoon

Cultural Facilities

MVRDV to turn outdated Taiwanese mall into urban lagoon

Rather than starting entirely from scratch, MVRDV will use many of the mall’s existing structures.


By Adilla Menayang, Assistant Digital Editor | November 17, 2015
MVRDV to turn outdated Taiwanese mall into urban lagoon

Renderings courtesy of MVRDV

A mall built in the 1980s in downtown Tainan, Taiwan, fell into decline and has become an eyesore to the city. So the Tainan City Government jumped at the opportunity to hire MVRDV for a rejuvenation project after the Dutch-firm submitted their lagoon-inspired proposal to a city-organized competition.

MVRDV’s winning design honors Tainan’s natural landscape and historic role as a marine and fishing industry hotspot.

“Tainan’s natural lagoons and water network served as the city’s base for its marine and fishing industry up until the early 20th century,” the firm explained in a statement. “Land reclamation and a new urban plan devised under Japanese governance saw the city expand rapidly; construction of the New Tainan Canal and Tainan Ship Moorage moved the shipping and fishing industry further inland.”

The shopping mall, called China-Town Mall, was built next to the canal that moved Tainan’s hustle-and-bustle further inland. Instead of starting from scratch, Gizmag reports that MVRDV plans to use some of the canal-side mall’s existing structure to create lagoons, pavilions, and kiosks.

Making up the majority of the mall’s former site are open-air park areas. “Once dismantled, the exposed structure of China-Town Mall will form the base for the new public square, a lush, green lagoon with dunes and playgrounds,” the firm says.

 

Related Stories

Cultural Facilities | Jun 5, 2015

Chicago’s 606 elevated park opens

The 2.7-mile stretch repurposes an abandoned elevated train track that snakes through Humboldt Park and Bucktown.

Cultural Facilities | Jun 2, 2015

Snøhetta and Dialog to revitalize Willamette Falls area in Oregon

As part of the plan, an abandoned paper mill will be repurposed, while landscaping and running trails will be added.

BIM and Information Technology | May 27, 2015

4 projects honored with AIA TAP Innovation Awards for excellence in BIM and project delivery

Morphosis Architects' Emerson College building in Los Angeles and the University of Delaware’s ISE Lab are among the projects honored by AIA for their use of BIM/VDC tools.

Cultural Facilities | May 15, 2015

Design for beekeeping facility in Tanzania by Jaklitsch/Gardner Architects unveiled

The developers say the center will be an important educational and vocational tool.

Cultural Facilities | May 14, 2015

Szczecin Philharmonic Hall wins Mies van der Rohe Award 2015

The hall is composed following a Fibonacci sequence whose fragmentation increases with the distance from the scene.

Cultural Facilities | May 13, 2015

MVRDV selected to design High Line-inspired park in Seoul

The garden will be organized as a library of plants, which will make the park easier to navigate. 

Museums | May 13, 2015

The museum of tomorrow: 8 things to know about cultural institutions in today’s society

Entertainment-based experiences, personal journeys, and community engagement are among the key themes that cultural institutions must embrace to stay relevant, write Gensler's Diana Lee and Richard Jacob.

High-rise Construction | May 6, 2015

Parks in the sky? Subterranean bike paths? Meet the livable city, designed in 3D

Today’s great cities must be resilient—and open—to many things, including the influx of humanity, writes Gensler co-CEO Andy Cohen. 

Multifamily Housing | Apr 22, 2015

Condo developers covet churches for conversions

Former churches, many of which are sitting on prime urban real estate, are being converted into libraries, restaurants, and with greater frequency condominiums.

Green | Apr 22, 2015

AIA Committee on the Environment recognizes Top 10 Green Projects

Seattle's Bullitt Center and the University Center at The New School are among AIA's top 10 green buildings for 2015.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Adaptive Reuse

Detroit’s Michigan Central Station, centerpiece of innovation hub, opens

The recently opened Michigan Central Station in Detroit is the centerpiece of a 30-acre technology and cultural hub that will include development of urban transportation solutions. The six-year adaptive reuse project of the 640,000 sf historic station, created by the same architect as New York’s Grand Central Station, is the latest sign of a reinvigorating Detroit.


Museums

Connecticut’s Bruce Museum more than doubles its size with a 42,000-sf, three-floor addition

In Greenwich, Conn., the Bruce Museum, a multidisciplinary institution highlighting art, science, and history, has undergone a campus revitalization and expansion that more than doubles the museum’s size. Designed by EskewDumezRipple and built by Turner Construction, the project includes a 42,000-sf, three-floor addition as well as a comprehensive renovation of the 32,500-sf museum, which was originally built as a private home in the mid-19th century and expanded in the early 1990s. 



Cultural Facilities

Multipurpose sports facility will be first completed building at Obama Presidential Center

When it opens in late 2025, the Home Court will be the first completed space on the Obama Presidential Center campus in Chicago. Located on the southwest corner of the 19.3-acre Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park, the Home Court will be the largest gathering space on the campus. Renderings recently have been released of the 45,000-sf multipurpose sports facility and events space designed by Moody Nolan.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021