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Singapore-based architects WOHA have completed their first built project in Taiwan. The 38-storey Huaku Sky Garden in the Tianmu district of northern Taipei differs from the mid-rise scale of its neighbours, offering a form dissimilar to the solid blocks influenced by Japanese colonial and 1980s Post Modernism.
The building is drafted as interlinked twin towers with a symmetrical structural frame — informed by earthquake and typhoon-proof design — covered in a Chinese-inspired filigree, which also serves as a sunshade enhanced by the depth of the recessed gardens found on the double-volume terraces of each residential apartment. The slender east and west elevations employ ornamental screens to maximize privacy between units. The structural load is borne by the external walls, allowing the interiors to be column-free and uncluttered.
A design rationale by WOHA explains the purpose behind the interlocking section, which was designed with three objectives in mind: "The first is dual frontage apartments with views of the city and the mountains. The second is natural cross-ventilation, and the third is spatial excitement. The interlocking allows a double-height terrace and entryway despite being a single-level apartment. The double-volume terraces create an outdoor garden quality, underlining the 'villa on the mountain' concept and giving the apartments a grand view of the mountains."
At ground-level, the building is adorned with gardens, green walls and retail shops that animate the streetscape. Construction on the project began in 2013 and was completed in 2017.
