Tall & Urban News

Foster + Partners has unveiled its plans for a new headquarters in Taipei for Taiwanese mega-conglomerate Goldsun Group.

An existing factory will be replaced with a series of office, housing and shopping spaces arranged around a central courtyard to be used as an outdoor event space.

The courtyard will also create a diagonal route through the site, connecting a new park to the northeast with a green area to the southwest.

Sky gardens will be located on various levels throughout the complex, offering a variety of social spaces for the public and employees, as well as creating naturally-lit and ventilated internal spaces.

With rooftop PV panels and other sustainable measures, the project is aiming for a LEED Gold rating.

The practice said the office block is to be located along a main commercial road, while social spaces will take advantage of the views of mountains to the south.

Quadruple-height event spaces feature meeting spaces, auditoria and entertainment areas, set against the backdrop of the Taipei skyline.

Foster + Partners head of studio Grant Brooker said: “It has been a wonderful challenge working with our client to transform this existing industrial site into a unique contemporary urban complex, combining workplace, retail and living spaces around a series of tree-filled courtyards. We hope that it will be a vibrant new social focus that will bring life to the area and form the centerpiece of its regeneration.”

Foster + Partners partner Young Wei-Yang Chiu added: ‘We have enjoyed working extensively with the government and local experts to create a self-sustainable mixed-use community within our site. The support we have received from the local authorities and communities has been tremendous, and we look forward to bringing the collaborative vision to fruition.”

Goldsun Group operates a range of construction, development, airline and security businesses, among others.

For more on this story visit the Architects’ Journal (subscription required).