Green and more green
everywhere around the New
City Hall area.
The green Wenxin Forest Park
New City Hall, currently under
construction, has already
earned status as a "green
building".
New City Hall preserves the
environment via energy
efficiency and reduced heat
emissions.
FengLe Sculpture Park is
around 20,000 pings in size.
|
A Green Miracle in Urban Development
Words and photos by Taichung City Government
Translated by Naomi Lai
Out at the site of Taichung's new city hall, construction is speeding along as the dark, Low-E (low-emissivity) glass climbs up the side of the building. Under the sun, it seems as if the new city hall is putting on a pair of sunglasses, blocking out the rays and fierce tropical heat. This is just one visible facet of Taichung city's real efforts to transform itself into an environmental city.
New city hall with environmental, green architecture
The grounds of the new city hall cover around five hectares with 50% of the land reserved for open green spaces that dwarf even a building as enormous as the hall. This structure has two underground and 10 above-ground floors. Total floor space is 150,000 pings and the long rectangular building features a hollowed-out center designed to reduce weight and pressure on the structure. Such features have gained it status as a "green building", as its environmentally-sensitive design reduces impact on the surrounding environment.
Rainwater recycling systems on the roof collect liquid for watering plants and regular washing, helping to preserve natural water resources. The double-layered Low-E glass windows keep out solar radiation and heat, greatly reducing dependence on air conditioning, saving electricity and reducing heat emissions.
Annual green space expansion for a healthy environment
Taichung's green space has steadily increased over the past eight years. The establishment of the Wenxin Forest Park added 27,000 pings of green area to the city. Adding that to the green spaces of the Taichung Intercontinental Stadium and new parks in the 10th and 11th redevelopment zones results in an increase of green space per citizen from one square meter to two square meters. According to Deputy Mayor James Hsiao, due to the legal conflicts over the Metropolitan Square area and reduced public bids from private businesses, the plaza will be constructed as a park for the moment. This means that yet another 10,000 pings of park space will be added in the heart of the seventh redevelopment zone.
75-hectare park in central Taiwan
Deputy Mayor Hsiao hopes that the Taichung Gateway urban development plan will be completed by next year. This includes the building of a 75-hectare park that will be five times the size of the Taichung Park and three times the size of Taipei's Da An Forest Park. This means that by 2012 Taichung will have its own Central Park, providing its citizens with a place to enjoy leisurely relaxation in a natural green setting.
Another unique sight in Taichung are construction site fences covered with beautiful plants. Even TV hostess Sisy Chen was impressed, commenting, "It should have been an ugly and noisy construction site but, instead, what you see are rows and rows of fences formed out of lovely plants. This construction site has turned itself into a standing park."
Plants on fences for a beauty makeover
Construction is continuing in full swing on many sites in the seventh redevelopment zone. Work sites are being excavated and surrounded by fences, which are now required to be covered with green plants, disguising the ugly steel underneath with something more pleasant for the eyes. Many construction sites outside of this area are also catching on to this beauty makeover trend, broadening Taichung's two-dimensional green miracle into a three-dimensional one. This means that even formerly-ugly construction sites are now a driving force for transforming Taichung into a greener, better city. |
November 2009
