tainan group 2

TAINAN KNOWLEDGE STATION

International Urban Design WorkshopTainan 2011NCKU - AA - NCTU

teachers

Lawrence Barth

Dominic Papa

Maw-Chang Yen

Tzu-Chang Lee (Joe)

students

Huai-Yuan Chang

Chih-Chyi Chang

Yen-Yu Chen

Shiau-Lan Chiou

Chen Hu

Sharon Shih

Hui-Hsin Cheng

Aida Mofakham

Angela Jeng

Florian Dirschedl

Gaurang Nabar

Mithila Satam

Olga Yatsyuk

William Wehbe

TAINAN KNOWLEDGE STATION

International Urban Design WorkshopTainan 2011NCKU - AA - NCTU

TWIN CITY REGIONS p. 2

TAINAN + KAOSHIUNG p. 4

URBAN MOBILITY SYSTEM p. 6

STATION DISTRICT p. 8

A NEW SURFACE p. 10

URBAN CONSISTENCY p. 12

CIVIC LANDSCAPE p. 14

ARCHITECTURE OF INTENSIFICATION p. 16

INNOVATION CLUSTER p. 18

FORESIGHT CLUSTER p. 22

TAINAN KNOWLEDGE STATION p. 24

The proposed burying of the railway in the centre

of Tainan provides a unique opportunity for the city

to rethink the vocation of its station. However, the

project’s implications transcend the actual scope of

the 10 ha site of the station area and affect a larger

part of the city than just the eight kilometre tunnel

strip. Therefore, the project asks for rethinking the

vocation of Tainan’s centre as a whole.

Hence, a wider territory has to be considered, invit-

ing all urban actors and participants to engage in a

project that exceeds the station limits and discusses

the future of not only parts of the city but the entire

region.

By widening the scope, Tainan’s role and image can

be reconsidered and challenged in different scales.

The contemplation of local tendencies as well as re-

gional and national developments allows for a flex-

ibility and adaptability of the design processes over

time. A comprehensive and incremental design strat-

egy can thus reveal the potential of the project for

the centre as well as the city and the region.

Urban Design Workshop NCKU + NCTU + AA Tainan 2011

4 Urban Design Workshop NCKU + NCTU + AA Tainan 2011 TAINAN KNOWLEDGE STATION

The city of Tainan is part of a metropolitan system

in the West of Taiwan, where a number of prosper-

ous city regions are linked through a highly efficient

high speed rail network. This transport network al-

lows for easy accessibility of all major cities along the

western coastline and promotes them to operate as

one labour and knowledge market. By their joint ef-

forts, the different cities establish an integrated sys-

tem of manpower and technology development and

perform as Taiwan’s economic spine in the spatial as

well as the figurative sense.

This spine proves to be top-heavy, however: Albeit

acting in concert as a whole, the cities contend with

each other within this composite. The high tech re-

gion of Taipei / Hsinchu is here most successful and

produces a clear polarity towards the North of the

country.

The success as high tech regions of a number of twin

cities such as Kopenhagen/Malmø and San Fransisco/

San Jose is ultimately rooted in the synergies they

create. A large diversity in population, cultures as

well as in economic production and knowledge ca-

pacities is distributed within an urban region that is

linked through a series of infrastructure projects and

made accessible for the entire region.

Imbalances between adjacent cities are thus lev-

elled, the cities’ individual insufficiencies are com-

pensated. A joint market is created that exceeds the

performance of the cities on their own.

In order to remain competitive and create an ef-

fective counterpart to Taipei/Hsinchu in the South,

Tainan will therefore have to vitalise its individual

potencies and boost its characteristics but - at the

same time - take advantage of the proximity to its

twin city Kaoshiung.

TWIN

CIT

Y R

EGIO

N

DISLINKED

TAINAN / KAOSHIUNG

INTERCONNECTED KNOWLEDGE + LABOURMARKET

Twin City Regions

SAN FRANCISCO / SAN JOSE COPENHAGEN / MALMØ

dislinked cities interconnected citiesHSR + rail

metropolitain entityspecialised regions

2 polesTaipei / Sh?? + Kaoshiung / Tainan

STSP

HSR


STSP

HSR

As Taiwans major exporting centre in the South,

Kaoshiung is dominated by heavy industries, logis-

tics and transportation entreprises today. Both, the

airport as well as the harbour have national signifi-

cance.

In contrast to Kaoshiung’s industrial focus, Tainan

features an enormous quantity of “soft skills”. The

city’s rich (colonial) history, numerous cultural re-

sources as well as culinary diversity are not only basis

for a high quality of life but also background for a

prosperous tourism. A divers science and research

landscape - with NCKU as one of the best Taiwanese

universities - fosters a wide range of high tech indus-

tries. Talented graduates of the city’s university are

hence easily absorbed in the South Taiwan Science

Park North of the city, as an example.

The two cities’ potentials, however, seem to be un-

derdeveloped and dislinked from each other at the

same time. Consequently, an urban development

strategy is needed, that not only aims at revealing,

deploying and strengthening Kaoshiung’s and Tain-

an’s individual economic as well as cultural and edu-

cational characteristics, but also addresses the cities’

concurrence and cooperation.

TAIN

AN

+ K

AO

SHIU

NG

Twin City Region Tainan/Kaoshiung

KAOSHIUNG

TAINAN


Key to the recognition of the two cities of Kaoshiung

and Tainan as urban region is their comprehensive

accessibility. Burying the railway in central Tainan is

on the right track for this purpose; yet nowhere near

enough its actual requirements towards an regional

public transport system.

The potential of the transportation system between

Tainan and Kaoshiung does not seem to be efficient-

ly developed. Hence, the station project should trig-

ger a discussion about a new vocation not only of

the station itself, but also of the railway system and

its associated networks.

In this regard, the current local public transporta-

tion can be upgraded to a smart mobility system

that interlinks and converges the entire region. The

integration of smart systems - such as parking man-

agement and mobile transport information - into a

larger reconceived system is an opportunity to show-

case local high tech excellence and will ultimately

increase both acceptance of and participation in

public transportation. In coherence with a an urban

development strategy on a regional scale, this sys-

tem can unfold its full potential.

To quote an example, the now inefficient bus system

could be rethought as polycentric and integrated lo-

cal network that serves the entire city and enables

easy access of all quarters. As a consequence, the

current bus knot in front of the station could be dis-

solved, leading to a slowed down traffic situation

and a better and safer pedestrian environment in

the station area.

UR

BA

N M

OB

ILIT

Y S

YST

EM

reorganisation of the local bus system

COPENHAGEN / MALMØ

TAINAN

KAOSHIUNG

HSR

STSP

TAINAN

KAOSHIUNG

HSR

STSP

TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE URBAN MOBILITY SYSTEM

Curitiba_Rapid Transit system

Toronto_ecocab

22@Barcelona_eco city

HsinChu_shuttle system


Toronto_ecocab




Toronto_ecocab


HsinChu_shuttle system Curitiba_Rapid Transit system

Toronto_ecocab



CORITIBA - BUS RAPID TRANSIT SYSTEM HSINCHUN - SHUTTLE SERVICEBARCELONA - 22@

TORONTO - ECOCAB MOBILE INFORMATION SYSTEM

transport infrastrUctUre Urban mobility system


The redevelopment of the station area in the course

of the railway project provides an opportunity to

pull the introduced ideas together. By assembling

the surrounding urban actors of the central busi-

ness district and of the adjacent university and the

cultural quarter, the station’s mere functional voca-

tion can be enhanced to become key element of the

core knowledge and innovation district within an

expanded metropolis.

As a much larger area than just the station area it-

self will be affected by the railway project, a design

strategy has to indicate and incorporate adjoining

sites and detect possible synergies. Consequently the

framework has to be expanded, including NcKU’s

campus in the West and a housing quadrant in the

South.

STA

TIO

N D

ISTR

ICT

expanding the project’s scope

KNOWLEDGE + INNOVATION ENVIRONMENT

HOUSING INNOVATION

FORESIGHT CLUSTER

tran

sport in

frastrU

ctUre

Urba

n m

obility system

STSP

NCKU

CBD

CULTURAL CENTRE


The construction of the railway tunnel creates a pos-

sibility not only to simply spatially link the currently

separated quarters in the West and in the East of

the station, but allows for the introduction of a new

surface: a field of possible activities between the city

and the university that takes into account the ad-

joining spatial characters and qualities - such as the

university’s sense of privileged spaces - and establish-

es a spatial and programmatic character of its own.

The aspired spatial conjunction is established

through a new pattern of differentiation that is

guided by the framework of the extended the street

grid. This pattern mediates between the city and the

university campus and establishes a spatial hierar-

chy as well as a strategic planning principle that can

adapt to change and intensify over time.

A N

EW S

UR

FAC

E

INTENSIFICATION

FRAMEWORK

PATTERN

SURFACE

STATION DISTRICT


The investigation of the infrastructure and public

works cycles affords an opportunity to develop a

planning strategy that gives thought to timing, re-

ducing risk for investors and uses the planning proc-

ess to assemble different stakeholders. The phasing

strips running North South allow for an integration

of the station infrastructure into planning processes

and construction at an early stage and thus ensure

planning reliability.

The differentiation of the streets along the station

quadrant produces new frontalities and hence new

addresses towards the city. The grain of the sug-

gested urban fabric mirrors this differentiation, pro-

viding a flexibility of investment with smaller plots

to the commercial western fringe and larger com-

pounds on top of the railway tunnel in the East.

Differentiated from its neighbouring quarters, the

evolving urban fabric will - at the same time - pro-

duce an infrastructural, programmatic and spatial

consistency within the station quarter itself.

UR

BA

N C

ON

SIST

ENC

Y

mediationdifferentiation

CONVENTIONCENTRE

phasing

A B C

CULINARYSTATION

CREATIVEINDUSTRIES

BUSINESSINCUBATORS

STATION BLOCK

40

7 711 11


Understood as a new surface of urban interaction,

the station district can bring together key stake-

holders and urban performers. The introduction of

a continuous morphology and social infrastructure

that are articulated over time allows for a function-

ally and programmatically divers urban quarter with

its own spatial qualities and productive capacities: a

unique urban landscape that establishes new ecolo-

gies and ways for the university, the city and private

investors (such as the science park’s companies) to

engage with each other, the other side of the station

and beyond.

New patterns of work, work-space, organisational

structures and joint ventures of two or more stake-

holders can influence the organisation of buildings

and the distribution of program and will emerge in

the creation of new places of interaction.

The role of public investments - such as the conven-

tion centre in the North or the conversion of the pro-

tected historic station building into a cultural forum

showcasing Tainan’s culinary excellence - as accelera-

tors of a value-based development will add to this

creation of a new civic landscape.

CIV

IC L

AN

DSC

APE

new places of interaction


A number of precendences help to understand, how

architectural planning can exceed a mere two-di-

mensional layering of program and functions. The

plans’ vertical transperancy allows for new relation-

ships within the buildings and establishes places of

interaction that are located beyond the common

trinity of Street/Square/Park and intensify spatial -

and collective - experiences: a sharp distinction of

public and private spaces gives way to places of privi-

lege that invite civic life into the buildings.

The examples given investigate the potentials of a

rethought distribution in section, reveal spatial rela-

tions hitherto neglected and demonstrate the ben-

efits of joint ventures for different stakeholders.

AR

CH

ITEC

TUR

E O

F IN

TEN

SIFI

CA

TIO

N

precedences

REVEALING SPATIAL RELATIONS

MODULATION OF PRIVELEDGED SPACES

BRITISH LIBRARY, LondonColin St. John Wilson architects

courtyard: gradation of public spaces

CROSS-SUBSIDISATION + CO-LOCATION

KING’S PLACE, LondonDixon + Jones Architects

offices + concert hall

INTENSIFICATION OF CIVIC RESOURCES

PUBLIC LIBRARY, SeattleRem Koolhaas / OMA

extension of public spaces into building

BOCCONI UNIVERSITY, MilanGrafton Architects

laboratories + lecture hall + underground station

KUNSTBAU LENBACHHAUS, MunichKiessler Architekten

underground station + museum

PROGRAMMING OF UNUSED SPACES


In the southern section, one can begin to ask how to

make use of the particular geometry of the railway

tunnel construction in order to create an opportu-

nity of a new housing district.

Anchored by the railway station in the north and

bordered by the commercial edge on the West and

larger institutions on the East including hospitals,

a cultural centre and primary and high schools, the

Southern Quadrant makes for an ideal live and work

environment. By offering a variety of living spaces

to attract both the existing residents as well as new

families, doctors and recent graduates, the southern

quadrant has an enormous potential for nurturing a

rich innovation cluster.

To reduce the risk of this development as much as

possible, the project can be broken into several

stages to alleviate the burden of local businesses

and residents from complete demolition. By choos-

ing to develop the eastern strip of the railway first,

it could alleviate the burden the transformation of

the commercial edge to something that can develop

over time. The plan also offers the option of mov-

ing the current residents to an adjacent block of an

abandoned textile mill while introducing the new

and older residents back into the developed area.

Furthermore, as the tunnel nears completion, a park

or open space can be imagined on top of the exist-

ing railway line mirroring the linear garden found

one block east of the site.

As time passes, this gradual development allows

for the transformation of supporting businesses to

adapt in surrounding areas that serve the new influx

of residents and workers in a similar way that Haf-

encity used in their incremental phasing of buildings

and amenities to create critical mass.

INN

OV

ATI

ON

CLU

STER

phasing


Spatially, the depth of the parcel along the southern

quarter varies in width, thus introducing a new set

of typologies.

Though seemingly foreign at first, the typology of

buildings actually is a mixture of the old and new.

Certain sections along the southern quadrant insinu-

ate a commercial edge. They’re not necessarily re-

tail oriented but could also be live and workspaces.

Secondly, low to midrise studio spaces offer a wider

width of flexibility for different types of innovative

clusters and larger households. Last, the taller apart-

ment blocks are able to house the different types of

residents and sizes of families.

The three typologies combined in one block cre-

ates a certain ecology conducive for information ex-

change found in creative environments.

Furthermore, the back to front orientation of the

primary school or the park hints at a hierarchy of

open spaces and the variation of plazas and setbacks

the buildings have on the block making certain pub-

lic areas more private than others. A block off of St.

John’s Yard in Clerkenwell, London exemplifies this

buzz of creativity with multiple entry points, dif-

ferent sized plazas, and the ability to move around

buildings within the block including an eight-story

apartment building, design offices, historic buildings

and a corner market.

With new links between various kinds of housing

and working studios in the knowledge economy,

one can begin to see a different kind of street which

may link back to the station, offering something dif-

ferent to the area, but nevertheless relatable to a

Taiwanese community. This process of seeding new

developments by the private sector can be followed

as one moves back north towards a new front door

of the University.

HO

USI

NG

TY

POLO

GIE

S

St John’s Yard, Clerkenwell, London


With the opening up of the new surface of the rail-

way station, the university has a chance to rethink

its new front door. The typical placement of dorma-

tories and recreational facilities towards the back

can be reconsidered in a more ambitious manner to

invite both public and private investment such as re-

search clusters.

The existing proposal for dormitories to be turned

into research facilities is a good starting idea, but

can be pushed further. The nature of the floor plates

is good for just offices, but not laboratory spaces.

By attaching an additional structure connecting

the two dorms, one can imagine a quality of space

ideal for cross-interaction and information sharing

between researchers, students and administrative

workers. Furthermore, the distribution of dark to

light spaces for particular uses such as laboratories

or offices trace similar principles of the Seattle Pub-

lic library as users move up through this new public

space.

The South-Western corner of the university might be

opened up by arranging a series of buildings which

will facilitate incubators and a creative milieu in a

new front situation facing the station. Based on the

logic of open spaces of the university, the campus

will be connected with the rest of the city by a se-

quence of open spaces through which the flow of

people will be able to penetrate through the struc-

ture of the NCKU.

Architecturally it will create a crossovers between

the privileged zone of the University and the public

spaces of the hotel, street market, park and other

public entities surrounding the campus. The spatial

differentiation will appear not only horizontally but

also vertically, creating the conditions of a certain

quality to facilitate the knowledge centre.

The sports fields might appear on the roof of the

buildings with a view to the centre of the city and

surrounded by cafes and restaurants. Multiple roof

gardens will create a new quality for the space.

FOR

ESIG

HT

CLU

STER

Shangri La

CIVIC LANDSCAPE

DEVELOPING NETWORKSOF TRUST

CULTIVATING OPPORTUNITY


Widening the scope of Tainan’s station development

not only relocates the city within a competitive ur-

ban region, but also allows for an integrated and

comprehensive planning strategy that rethinks the

city’s infrastructural embedment and accessibility.

Moreover, it includes key urban actors and detects

possible synergies between them.

Relieved from the burden to master a mere infra-

structural vocation, the station and its surroundings

can thus evolve into an urban quarter that will a pro-

gressive place of civic, social and economic interac-

tion. As joint venture - with all three the city, private

investors and the university engaging in the creation

of a civic landscape - the station district can unfold

its full potentials to become an environment that is

knowledge-based and innovation driven.

TAIN

AN

KN

OW

LED

GE

STA

TIO

N

tainan group 2

Documents

urban region

centre of tainan

tainan kaoshiung

urban consistency

urban actors

ncku aa

different cities

urban mobility system