National Trade Centre
Taichung is located at the intersection of Chaofu road and Shizheng north Second Street, adjacent to Taichung opera house, City Hall, Congress Hall and Shin Kong, which belong to the CBD area of Taichung City. It is a challenging for the architect to design a local landmark in this premium location.
The massing is the result of urban rules and plot size restrictions turned as a unique opportunity to create a structure that extends Taichung’s rich architectural heritage. Our transparent tower and surrounding public square, move away from closed forms and perimeter blocks to create a building and urban landscape that is porous, accessible and welcoming.
Derived from nature, the design concept of NTC, Taichung is “bamboo sprout” to emphasize its unique form which aims to express the regional feature and culture of the Taichung city. Bamboo shoot, as one of Taichung’s specialties, implies thriving and booming. Zhanglei(Song dynasty) who had a poem “荒林春雨足，新笋迸龙雏”, which means “bamboo shoots after a spring rain”, showing the connection between bamboo shoots and traditional Chinese culture. Meanwhile, bamboo shoots play an important role in Chinese culture, it metaphor uniqueness, blooming and promising which is meaningful to Chinese. The building is designed to be streamlined by referencing the shape of bamboo, which is unique in Taichung.
The plan of NTC is nearly elliptical, the façade is taken the gesture of bamboo shoots that breaking through the ground; rather than simply imitated from the bamboo shoots, the building sublimated in architecture by adjusting the head part. The curtain wall undulates with horizontal awnings not only highlight its unique form but also contribute to construct simplicity. The local plants are placed on the east/west side and the roof of the tower. Meanwhile, the metal plate curtain wall system is employed in the west side in order to resist the western exposure that improved the energy efficiency of the building. By doing these, it is not only emphasis on its extraordinary architectural form but also pays attention on green strategy and environmental friendly.
Rather than simply imitating bamboo shoot, 139 NTC sublimates this natural shape by developing a collection of space where structure, façade, lights, and vegetation tell a story, different every floor and on each side.
The NTC tower fits naturally within its architectural context. A transparent structure, it stands in striking contrast to the solidity that defines surrounding structures. Taichung has a rich architectural tradition and the neighborhood itself contains high-quality building from many different periods. Our design extends this lineage yet at the same time marks a radical new approach - a bold step forward.
