Solitaire Tower | Taichung, Taiwan
Landworks Studio developed the design for the public realm and streetscape, several garden rooms, and two roof decks for this new 41-story, residential condominium tower located in the Seventh District of Taichung, Taiwan. The notion of the ‘gallery’ emerged from the sites proximity to the Taiwan Opera House, a reputable institution that has come to represent the center for the Arts in Taichung and consequently attracts individuals who share an appreciation for fine arts, particularly those who have elected to make Solitaire their home.
Client: Pao Huei Construction Co. Ltd.
Architect: Johnson Fain
Lighting: Lighting Design Alliance
Photography: Landworks Studio, John Horner
Status: Completed 2016
AWARDS
2020 BSLA Merit Award - General Design
In keeping with a series of past and ongoing projects within the Seventh District, the project began with a charge by the client to reinforce and extend strong urban public realm connections beyond the site itself. The existing sidewalk was defined by expanded areas of asphalt and precast pavers with very few trees, causing very hot conditions. The first move by the design team was to establish a public realm that was instead defined by densely planted street trees (Taiwanese Zelkova) as well as a layered understory planting to further cool the ambient air temperature at the ground plane. Innovative paving patterns were developed as part of a larger urban, District-wide sidewalk branding idea developed by our team. A sophisticated notion of layered night-lighting also sets an unmistakable domestic scaled mood while combating obnoxious ‘night sky’ violations that define much of the surrounding streets. Consequently, there has been a noticeable return of bird life to the area.
Leaving the public realm, the nature of the design becomes increasingly privatized. A series of outdoor gallery spaces were developed to reflect the aesthetic of the neighborhood and appeal to the identified demographic of the future residents. In this case, these ‘galleries’ are defined by the artful combination of natural materials and geometric patterning to achieve fully immersive landscape experiences. The design team took careful delight in establishing innovative dialogue between textures and tones of natural materials, geometries, organic plant materials and dramatic swings in light and temperature conditions, micro-climates and building technologies.
Striking art walls bookend the arrival experience, providing a materially and visually robust threshold to the main entrance of the building. The ground plane is defined by a mosaic of granite octagons of various tonal and dimensional proportions creating a seamless, almost fluid sense of ground plane.
Complementary gardens within the footprint of the site and on the upper levels of the tower engage phenomena of reflectivity, light and texture to enhance the notion of the contemporary outdoor gallery. In each of the spaces, the design optimizes the precise nature of light, temperature and view as mechanisms for structuring the space.
The rooftop terrace allows for fantastic views to the surrounding city, including direct views to the Ito Opera House below. Large stone veneer panels, water elements and raised planters containing trees extend the fascination with natural materials, modularity and the play of natural light to the very top of the tower in the form of a large party space.