By 2024, Kaohsiung Station is set to become a modern interchange hub, combining rail, subway, domestic and intercity buses, taxis and even infrastructure for cyclists. The complex and multi-part project is part of an ambitious attempt to remove the railroad tracks and seven stations into a 10-kilometer underground tunnel.
Mecanoo architects tried to create an integral urban space on an area of 8.5 hectares, where transport terminals naturally coexist with a large variety of public areas, shops, restaurants, a hotel (22,000 sq. M.), An administrative building (52,000 sq. M.) and the historic station building, built during the time when Taiwan was a Japanese colony. The latter is planned to be reconstructed and returned to the historical site, marking with its help the entrance to the modern complex.
The new station (about 13,000 sq. M.) Will be completely removed underground, and the entire transport infrastructure will be concentrated around the also recessed circular area-hall. Its main element will be a set of oval lamps, echoing the slots of the skylights. All the most important events in the Taiwanese villages usually take place in the open squares decorated with red lanterns in front of the temple, which, according to the architects, prompted them to make a decision.
Underground and semi-underground spaces spill out thanks to a green canopy spreading on all sides with an area of about 35,000 square meters. m. It was on it that the architects placed a multi-level bicycle path. Together with it, the canopy smoothly flows around the ground objects, collecting, fastening all the components of the future TPU and naturally finds its continuation in the surrounding park (the total area of landscaping will be about 60,000 sq. M.).
All of this multi-tiered and highly complex structure will result in a huge variety of open, semi-open and, importantly in a tropical climate, completely protected from the environment for all types of urban activity: from farmers' and flea markets to traditional opera performances and a mobile library. So a modern city, designed in accordance with all the rules of sustainable development, in this case is being built as if at the junction of the old and the new.
