Recently, MVRDV celebrated the opening of Tainan "Hele Plaza". "Hele Plaza" is an urban public space design project, including the transformation of an old shopping mall in the city center, "Tainan Chinatown", into an urban lagoon surrounded by plants. These plants will grow into a lush jungle, transforming the city into a lagoon surrounded by plants. Reconnect with nature and the waterfront.
Commissioned by the owner, MVRDV’s master plan also reshaped a “T”-shaped axis on the east side of the Tainan Canal and proposed a new landscape strategy to integrate the original Tainan China Town base and the one-kilometer-long Haian Road. In addition to a new public plaza and urban landscape pool, the project also includes improvements to public transportation pathways, reduced traffic, and the addition of native plantings.
General plan
Since the 17th century, Tainan’s canal network has been the basis of the city’s marine fisheries; but in the 1980s, the direction of this historic city changed. In 1983, the blind section of the Tainan Canal was filled in and the Tainan Chinatown shopping mall was built. Over time, this large commercial building drifted further and further away from its original intended purpose, draining the vitality of Tainan’s Central and Western District. "Hele Plaza" proposes a solution to reuse old shopping mall space. Especially when online shopping gradually replaces physical store shopping, this solution provides a possibility to transform time and space.
Tainan Chinatown shopping mall has been demolished and the original building materials have been cleverly recycled. The project will become an innovative model of circular economy. Urban landscape pools and lush local plantings set off a sunken plaza converted from the mall’s underground parking lot, surrounded by a sun-shaded semi-open-air cloister.
A well-designed landscape pool will be a perfect gathering place in all seasons: the water level of the pool will rise or fall according to the rainy and dry seasons; in hot weather, the spray cooling system can reduce the outdoor temperature, bringing comfort to visitors environment and reduce the use of air conditioning. This space can be used as a playground, gathering space, performance stage, etc.; at the same time, through artistic dismantling of the building, the original structure of a series of buildings mainly composed of concrete frames has been retained, and can be converted into service centers and pavilions in due course. and other facilities.
In addition, through the glass floor, you can see part of the structure of the second underground floor and the backfilled and reused building materials. It further shows people the past of the site and commemorates its important value as Tainan's history. This new method of protecting historical sites is not to wipe out the old and build new ones, but to highlight the foundation of the original mall from the park and lagoon, like a contemporary Roman Forum, to close the blind section of the canal and rebuild the mall. Historical decisions provide a visual memory landmark.
MVRDV A key strategy in designing “Hele Plaza” is to bring green back to the city. Therefore, large areas of plants have been introduced in both public squares and Haian Road. A variety of local native plants are planted together, and trees, shrubs and grasses form a multi-layered vegetation, simulating the natural green landscape of eastern Tainan.
The plant density of the planting trough changes according to the activity pattern of the area, providing more space for people and plants. Now that the Haian Road project has been completed and the newly planted plants have begun to grow, it will take about two to three years to fully realize the vision of a lush garden.
In ‘Hele Plaza’, people can take a shower on the green former shopping mall site. Children will soon be able to play in the water among the ruins of history – how amazing is that? Inspired by Tainan’s history, the original jungle and water were both important sources of inspiration. Tainan is a gray city, and as green jungle is reintroduced into every corner, the city will reintegrate into the surrounding landscape. In the green streets of Haian Road, you can see that reintroducing green is an important part of our overall planning. We mixed local native plants to mimic the natural landscape of eastern Tainan. I think the city will benefit a lot from this.——Winy Maas, co-founder of MVRDV
Haian Road is one of the busiest streets in Tainan. The Haian Road reconstruction project completed last year has brought new vitality to the urban activities here. The road is now one lane in each direction and there are fewer vehicles on the street. Beyond this, a uniform concrete brick pavement replaces years of patchwork of disparate materials, and the greening approach continues nature-rich landscaping strategies that have been successful elsewhere.
The project also improves the street’s most unfavorable landscaping element, namely the many large ventilation shafts that protrude from the ground into the public space. Although these pieces of infrastructure cannot be removed, they are painted in a uniform color to minimize their visual presence. After completion, Tainan also invited some local artists to decorate the infrastructure.
"Hele Plaza" is one of the two projects completed by MVRDV in Tainan this year. The other project that is about to be completed is the "Tainan Xinhua Fruit and Vegetable Market", which is currently in the final construction stage. "Hele Plaza" was completed by MVRDV and a cross-disciplinary professional design team, including co-architect Li Liru Architects, sustainability and landscape consultant Urban Liren Planning and Design Co., Ltd., and structural consultant Changhao Structural Technicians. , traffic planning consultant Dinghan International Engineering Consultants, lighting design consultant Liheng Lighting Design Co., Ltd., mechanical and electrical consultant Hongdian Industrial United Technicians Office, and construction Fang Yongji Construction Engineering Co., Ltd.
Project drawings
First floor plan
Basement floor plan
Project information
Architect: MVRDV
Lead architect: Winy Maas
Responsible partner: Wenchian Shi, Jeroen Zuidgeest
Project coordinator: -Hsin Liao
Design Team: Hui- Hsin Liao, Angel Sanchez Navarro, Stephan Boon, Xiaoting Chen, Andrea Anselmo, Yi Chien Liao, Zuliandi Azli, Olivier Sobels, Dong Min Lee, Chi Yi Liao
Visual effects: Antonio Luca Coco, Costanza Cuccato, Davide Calabro, , Paolo Mossa Idra
Copyright: Winy Maas, Jacob van Rijs, Nathalie de Vries
Partners
Architect: Li Liru Architects
Sustainability and landscape consultant: Urban Liren Planning and Design Co., Ltd.
Structural consultant: Changhao Structural Technician Affairs
Transportation planning consultant: Dinghan International Engineering Consultant
Lighting design consultant: Liheng Lighting Design Co., Ltd.
Mechanical and electrical consultant: Hongdian Industrial United Technicians Office
Constructor: Yongji Construction Engineering Co., Ltd.
