Taiwan Center Features High-Tech Solar-Powered Skin
Written by Craig Braunschweig
There's a new look in the building industry and that's eco-skin. The Taichung Convention Center, designed by MAD Ltd. of Beijing, has taken a gigantic step toward sustainable aesthetics with the expansion of this concept.
Some say the building will look like "volcanoes in Venetian blinds,” but I think it looks more like attractive pleated lampshades. The skin is designed to allow natural air flow for the building in hopes of minimizing use of air conditioning. It’s also transparent in places to allow natural light into the interior. The building features double photovoltaic glass, which has all the benefits of regular glass, plus the ability to harness energy from the sun like residential solar power. Pretty neat, huh?
Besides these super-tech innovations, the design harks back to the ancient Eastern philosophies of combining architecture with nature to create a more harmonious dwelling. There will be areas where a pool or stand of bamboo are the focal points of the space, and as you can see from the pictures, it looks like the harmony works well on the big scale, too.
Some of the wavy exterior is designed to "blur the line between landscape and topology," and if I may, it does so nicely. Taiwan hopes that the center will become a landmark that inspires future endeavors into the sustainable building realm. If you build it, they will come.
For more on the building, check out this earth-stream post here. Or, for the artistic vision of MAD Ltd., read more on their project philosophy.
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