Designed by PAR (Platform for Architecture + Research) and SES (Sériès et Sériès), their stage two finalist entry for the Keelung Harbor competition adopts a form that resists easy classification to free-associate with successive symbols of the utilitarian, the industrial, the poetic. Becoming a landmark in the harbor city, it combines maximum artistry with maximum efficiency. The new harbor project is only one piece in a larger green network that links public open space with waterfront amenities throughout the city. More images and architects’ description after the break.
The site is located at the very end of Keelung’s harbor master plan, where the mountain meets the sea. Keelung is a gateway that through its history, climate and the customs of its inhabitants, is predestined to make use of its exterior space. For this reason, we decided instead of planning the building as an independent object within an open space, we would propose buildings that will generate and structure this open space. The design frames the harbor and the water beyond with an asymmetrical tower defining the northern perimeter of the facility, connected to the terminal by plazas at the ground and concourse levels. The project form, together with the lighting, aims to provide a dramatic entry experience to Taiwan from both the sea and the city of Keelung.
