Foster + Partners has unveiled design for a new a new mixed-use office block in Taipei, as the plans have recently been approved by the city council to go ahead.

Called Goldsun HQ, the new high-rise building is developed for the Goldsun Group and will introduce a new mixed-use typology to the area by replacing the existing Goldsun factory with a unique mid-rise building that establishes new connections with the surrounding urban fabric.

The complex will contain office spaces alongside residential and retail areas, and the tower blocks are arranged around a central courtyard – an outdoor event space that forms the social heart of the project with the buildings lifted off the ground. The courtyard is aimed at a diagonal route through the site, connecting a new park to the northeast with the green area across the street to the southwest.

To take the nature inside, Foster + Partners design skygardens on various levels of the complex, offering a variety of social spaces for the public and office employees to enjoy. 

The skygardens are also designed to encourage naturally daylit and ventilated spaces throughout the buildings. With rooftop photovoltaic panels and other sustainable measures, the project targets a LEED Gold rating.

"It has been a wonderful challenge working with our client to transform this existing industrial site into a unique contemporary urban complex - combining workplace, retail and living spaces around a series of tree-filled courtyards. We hope that it will be a vibrant new social focus that will bring life to the area and form the centrepiece of its regeneration," said Grant Brooker, Head of Studio, Foster + Partners .

The building blocks are supported by six cores that combine structure and services. These glazed ‘floating volumes’ are suspended between each of the solid cores using steel mega-trusses that form an expressed structural system, creating flexible, large-span floorplates.

The office block is located along the main commercial road towards the north, while the special social spaces take advantage of the views towards the mountains to the south. The top floors of the north and south blocks are occupied by quadruple-height event spaces featuring meeting spaces, auditoria and entertainment areas, set against the backdrop of the Taipei skyline.

Young Wei-Yang Chiu, Partner, Foster + Partners, said: "We have enjoyed working extensively with the government and local experts to create a self-sustainable mixed-use community within our site. The support we have received from the local authorities and communities has been tremendous and we look forward to bringing the collaborative vision to fruition."

All images courtesy of Foster + Partners

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