Taipei City Capital Plaza International Design Competition

Plan proposed by Urban Design Laboratory(Takeru Kitazawa)

＜Design Concept＞

□Capital Plaza as a Cluster of Small Meeting Places for Miscellaneous Activities
Historically, well-known plazas representing nations were designed only for political activities for the governments; they also represented authority where people gathered under a dictator. Nonetheless, it is expected that free and small activities by more varied groups will support new democratic Taiwan in globalization era. The Capital Plaza should be the symbolized place to embrace those activities.
Our plan is to induce new activities in the plaza by plotting small meeting spaces. For the purpose, we create those small spaces in the plaza by placing booths and transparent boundaries and covering a part by louvered roofing to block sunlight. Taking in the surrounding area, those activities show the multi-dimensional face of Taiwan . Besides, taking old city structure into consideration, our plan secures the continuity of the streets and uses existing spatial motif.
The plaza will be the place not only for residents but also for diversified group of people who gather for tourism; a variety of activities enable people to meet each other. In this way, the Capital Plaza will be the plaza representing Asia and the World

＜MasterPlan＞

『Capital Plaza』 International Design Competition Winning Announcement：
Winners:
□Itsuko Hasegawa（ Title:Taiwan void ）
□Takeshi Hagiwara （Title:MIX & OPEN )
□Andres Perea ( Title:HUMAN LANDSCAPE )
High Distinction :
□ Prof. M. von Gerkan Nationality
□PETER WILSON & JULIA BOLLES-WILSON
□C. Y. Lee Nationality Republic of Taiwan 　
Distinction:
□ Takeru Kitazawa
□ Fumihiko Maki
□ Adriaan Geuze West 8
□ Dr Kenneth Yeang King Mun
□ Wei-Min Lee
□Ti-Nan Chi
□ Van-Liang Huang
□ Non-Chi Wang

<Objective>

Taipei, the foremost city in Taiwan, has played an increasingly important role, not only in Asia, but all throughout the world. For more than one hundred years, however, there remains an absence of comprehensive planning and design in the utilization of the Plaza, which includes the areas in front of the Office of the President, which is also the heart of both the city's and the country's administrative operations.
Since the city's settlement in the 19th century, the Plaza, which was also the city center of pre-modern downtown Taipei, has been the political center of Taiwan. With the democratization and modernization of Taiwan on both political and social levels, the general planning and usage of the plaza in front of the Office of the President (the Plaza) have thus become important issues as part of the progress of democratic development and globalization. In recent years, the "Plaza" not only witnessed the rapid growth and globalization of Taiwan's political and social climate, it also served as the country's gateway, the focus of the international community on the globalization efforts of Taipei city.

As in other major capital urban planning projects, an international design competition will be held to generate a design proposal for the Plaza. The objective of this major international design competition is not only to summon an ideal design scheme that is most appropriate for the Plaza, but also a proposal that has the potential to be realized as part of urban redevelopment projects that will be carried out in the near future. Through the vast participation of the competition, we hope to generate adequate discussions and possibilities as references for the future development of Taipei city, both in part and as a whole, to insure a successful review of the space utilization and general urban landscape of old downtown Taipei. The project's four design objectives are as follows:

1. To create an image of the capital district and enhance the unique, appealing, and democratic image of the Office of the President as the city center, while providing open spaces for the general public.

2. To preserve the city center's unique historical elements and to reflect the collective memories of old Taipei, its sense of place, historical heritage and architectural spirit.

3. To promote daytime and nighttime public activities, thus creating an efficient, energized, humanistic and friendly public space.

4. To carry on the tradition of an area in which diverse professional, representing vast realms of industries, tend to form in districts and clusters of zones. It is crucial to improve revitalize the relationship of these characteristic and functional zones, in their interaction as a whole and general living quality through appropriate land development and public construction.

<Competition Rules >

Eligibility
All persons and organizations specializing in architecture, landscape, or urban design are invited to submit design proposals. Since the eventual project implementation will be carried out after the winning design is chosen, the participants should consider the technical requirements and feasibility of the design during the design process. In the detailed design during the negotiation and contract signing phase, the designer should also present a valid architect's license as required by the laws of the R.O.C. (Cooperation with domestic parties are allowed in the succeeding phases.) However, agencies, companies, as well as partners, affiliated with the judging committee shall not be eligible for participation.

Entry Selection
1. The winning entries will be determined into two phases:
(1) Phase 1: Five entries will be selected to participate in Phase 2 of the selection process.
(2) Phase 2: The five selected entries from Phase 1, along with proposals submitted by the short list of international architects invited by the organizer, will compete at the second selection process. Three outstanding entries will then be selected.
2. Architects Invited by the Organizer:

Adriaan Geuze Meinhard van Gerkan
Fumihiko Maki Rem Koolhaas
Itsuko Hasegawa Richard Rogers
Jorge Silvetti Peter Wilson
Ken Yeang Zaha Hadid

Competition Site
To enable the Plaza design to fully reflect the image of the nation? capital, the areas to be covered by the design project are divided into two: areas included planning areas and design areas. (Refer to Figure 3-1, Competition Site)
1. Planning Areas
With the Office of the President? as the center, a general and long-term planning shall be developed taking into account the areas surrounding the Office of the President.
2. Design Areas
The areas that will be included in the design boundary are the Office of the President and the Plaza, 228 Memorial Park, Chiang Kai-shek Park, Ketagalan Avenue, Taipei Guest Hall, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is the actual project design where a design will be developed while taking into account the areas included in the redesign plan.

Schedule

Event Time
Inquires 1 January 2001 to 31 May 2001
Deadline 29 June 2001
Preliminary Screening Temporarily set on 17 July 2001 (To be determined by the final public announcement)
Final Selection Temporarily set on 19 July 2001 (To be determined by the final public announcement)

Pictures and Illustrations:

The pictures and illustrations shall be affixed to A0 (840 mm x 1190 mm) illustration boards to facilitate delivery. The boards should be able to stand on their own to facilitate public display of the designs. The submitted pictures and illustrations shall include the following:
A. Design Concept Explanation
B. Overall Design Concept of the Planning Area and its Surrounding Areas: Should convey the overall development concept for the entire area (Scale 1:2000).
C. Master plan for the Design Area Should convey the actual design of the areas covered. (Scale 1:1000).
D. Land and Building Use Concept: Explanations on the concepts for any proposed change in the current use of the land or buildings, or for any proposed additional buildings or underground facilities.
E. Relevant Perspective and/or Cross-section Drawings: The applicant should, at his own discretion, clearly explain the submitted perspective and/or cross-section drawings.
F. Supporting drawing and diagrams: Illustration on the proposed landscape, nighttime lighting, among others, submitted at the applicant's own discretion.

Entry Selection and Prizes

1. Selection of Entries and Prizes
(1) The five entries selected during Phase 1, along with the short list of invited participants invited by the organizer, will each receive NT$ 7 hundred thousand as subsidy for their work.
(2) Three entries will then be selected during Phase 2, where the prize money will be as follows: NT$3 million for the first prize, NT$2 million for the second prize, and NT$1 million for the third prize.
(3) The entries selected in Phase I and the name of the winners of Phase II will be announced on 20 July 2001 (the exact time will be based on the last public announcement made). The Organizer will separately inform the winners to claim the prize money.