WOHA populates ‘sky green’ development with trees and plants

designed by singapore-based firm WOHA, ‘sky green’ is a mixed-use development located at the heart of taichung city, taiwan. located in a densely developed and vibrant neighborhood, the site is made up of two rectangular plots: one facing the main city thoroughfare, gongyi road; and the other facing naying street, a quieter secondary street. the project comprises two towers, which both contain retail outlets on the lower three floors and residential units from levels 4 to 26. between the two components is a recreational floor for residents with facilities for indoor and outdoor activities.

all images by koumin lee

‘the hustle and bustle of taichung streets is captured and extended along the lower retail levels of the building,’ explains WOHA. ‘the retail shops have staggered patterned glass cladding as an urban backdrop to tree-lined pedestrian walkways and modern outdoor street furniture. above the retail shops rise two towers of residential apartments of different types with generous recreation facilities. the design of this high-rise mixed-use development examines the relationship between internal architecture planning and the formal expression of the building as an urban object.’

the development’s façades and protruding balconies are populated with trees and other vegetation, while mesh screens serve as a trellis for green creeper plants. as well as bringing a sense of nature to high-rise living, the plants also help protect the homes from sun with the greenery serving as an active and living interface between the interior and exterior environment. ‘skygardens’ every 5 floors further dissolve boundaries between inside and outside. in fact, all residents are able to enjoy visual greenery outside their apartment windows.

‘a series of open yet sheltered sky gardens, terraces, balconies and planters create a breathable façade and visual interest, enhancing the real estate value of these apartments in a densely built up area while providing spatial relief to apartment owners,’ the architects continue. ‘the architectural strategies of sky green are new for taichung – and the building and its façade language is a prototype that is representational of the city’s aspirations towards fostering sustainable living in a high-density urban environment.’ see more projects by WOHA on designboom here.

project info:

title: sky green, taichung, taiwan
location: gongyi road, taichung, taiwan
design inception: 14 january 2014
start of construction: 1 april 2015
completion: november 2019
cost: 3,515.65 million TWD / 153.7 million SGD

gross floor area: 61,026.88 sqm
plot area: 4,597 sqm
underground parking: 6 floors
L1-L3: retail
L4: residential communal facilities
L5- L26: residential
building height top: 104.4 m
building height last occupied floor: L26 91.95m
no of lifts: 10 (residential only)

architect: WOHA
team: wong mun summ, richard hassell, pearl chee siew choo, see jian fa, lin li ping, billy novia prima, tay i-lin, nick puah, john paul r gonzales, josephine isip, anthony wong, shuxian
client: golden jade construction & development corp
local architect: archiman architects planners associates
mechanical & electrical engineer: jin ding electrical machinery industry technician’s office
civil & structural engineer: DAYAN engineering consultant co.ltd
landscape consultant: feng chia university architecture research design centre
lighting consultant: LHLD lighting design LLC
main contractor: golden jade construction & development corp