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Singapore-based architecture studio WOHA has completed Sky Green, a verdant residential building and the firm's first project in Taichung, Taiwan. The complex was commissioned by developer Golden Jade—with Feng Chia University serving an advisory role—following the "Breathing Architecture" exhibition WOHA brought to the city in 2012. The exhibition formed part of a City-initiated program under the Gateway Project Masterplan, which focused on putting Taichung on a sustainable, low-carbon path towards the future.
Containing residential apartments, retail and recreational facilities across two towers, green landscaping comprises a significant portion of the building envelope. Tower A units feature extended balconies with trees while Tower B apartments host a green mesh screen on the facade. Sky gardens located every five floors within the volume largely eliminate the boundaries between interior and exterior programs.
"We are very happy to have been a part of this collaboration between policy makers, academic and the private sector to design the future of sustainable housing in Taichung," said Mun Summ Wong, founding director of WOHA. "One building can't change a city but we hope that Sky Green is the first of many more."
Sky Green was first conceived seven years ago and further refined when WOHA was hired the following year. The design was adapted according to the subtropical climate, also incorporating measures to resist earthquakes and typhoons.
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