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Shining Tower

Taichung, Taiwan
Design completed 1997

60-story mixed-use with offices, hotel and retail
 

This project was designed for a relatively small corner site in the central business district of Taichung, the third largest city in Taiwan. Situated off the main commercial street, its intention is to achieve prominence through height and distinctive architectural character. The challenge was to satisfy this goal while providing easy street level access to exclusive shops, meeting the stringent functional requirements of a five-star hotel, providing prime office space intended for sale in a highly saturated market, and maintaining the exclusivity of a VIP club, all within rigorous zoning codes and other exacting municipal guidelines.

The solution involves an interplay of a circle and square to form a stack of unique building segments that spiral up, each with its own function and protected entrance.  The large lower tier accommodates retail, restaurants and lounges; the middle tier houses offices; while the small high tier, offering panoramic views of the city, ideally suits its role as a luxury hotel, all of which is topped by the private club and a penthouse suite.

The tower's shaped exterior is unified by a 1.4-meter module, applied differently to the orthogonal and curvilinear surfaces  to create a serene yet powerful skyline identity.

Major Components

12,000m² retail; 23,000m² office space; 25,000m² 5-star hotel with 300 guest rooms, meeting rooms, a ballroom accommodating 800 people; 4,000m² private club; penthouse suite; underground parking for 480 cars

Pei Cobb Freed & Partners services

Complete architectural services through construction documents

Associate Architect

Artech, Inc., Taipei

Structural

Weiskopf & Pickworth, New York, NY

Mechanical / Electrical

Jaros Baum & Bolles, New York, NY

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