Work begins on MVRDV's public promenade and man-made lagoon in Tainan
– Winy Maas, MVRDV
Work has started on a new green public corridor in Tainan that will replace a derelict shopping mall with a man-made lagoon.
The city’s mayor, William Lai, launched the ground breaking on the Tainan Axis, which has been designed by international architects MVRDV and local firms The Urbanist Collaborative and LLJ Architects.
The development is centred around the abandoned China-Town Mall – described by the architects as “the rotten tooth of downtown Tainan” – and the perpendicular Haian Road.
The city’s natural lagoons and water network fed the marine and fishing industry up until the early 20th century. However, a period of land reclamation and urbanisation in the decades since saw this water-based tradition diminish. The architects plan to re-establish this connection and stimulate the redevelopment of the neighbourhood.
The connection with the waterfront will be recreated by the construction of a tree-lined pedestrian promenade linking the mall to Tainan’s canals, and an artificial beach from which visitors will be able to see the sea.
A new public square will be centred around the lush, green artificial lagoon – created by flooding the mall’s former underground car park. Dunes and playgrounds will be flanked by commercial units such as retail kiosks, a tea house and an art gallery.
“With Tainan Axis, we want to reintroduce to the city, a space for socialising and also to introduce swimming into what lay in ruins,” said MVRDV founding partner Winy Maas. “It’ll be a versatile public space that connects the water back to the city and brings different types of people together, and indeed a lively oasis to cool down in for hot Taiwanese summer days.”
MVRDV are working on the project with a team of sustainability and landscape consultants, designers and engineers including Progressive Environmental; Urban Sculptor Planning & Designing Consultants; THI Consultants Inc; and Songsing.
The project will be completed in April 2018.
MVRDV Tainan Axis Taiwan Winy Maas architecture designBuilding begins on Mecanoo's 'timeless' Tainan Library
Taiwan city of Tainan prepares for £34.5m international baseball stadium
Abandoned shopping mall will be flooded to create a lagoon for Tainan, Taiwan
Shigeru Ban chosen to design Tainan Museum of Fine Arts, Taiwan
Equinox Hotels to launch futuristic wellbeing resort in Neom's luxury coastal region
La Maviglia resort and medi-spa launching in Puglia in 2027, designed by Oppenheim Architecture
Vogue launches first Global Spa Guide – picks 100 of the world’s best spas
Japan's first Blue Zones longevity retreat to launch at Halekulani Okinawa
Total Fitness to launch purpose-built Women’s Gym
Deepak Chopra-backed wellness resort Ameyalli to open among historic Utah hot springs
Life Time Group Holdings does US$40 million sale and leaseback deal to fund growth
Ritz-Carlton Reserve to land in South America with tropical retreat in Rio de Janeiro
Banyan Tree to debut in Caribbean with Oppenheim-designed island retreat
Mandarin Oriental’s new London hotel and urban spa retreat opening 3 June
GWI unveils latest edition of Hydrothermal Spa & Wellness Development Standards to elevate industry practices
Merlin unveils record-breaking Hyperia coaster at Thorpe Park
Connection, creativity and nature inspire Arizona’s upcoming desert wellness sanctuary Align
Wellness real estate market booming – forecast to reach $913bn by 2028, reports GWI
UAE’s first Dior Spa debuts in Dubai at Dorchester Collection’s newest hotel, The Lana
Europe's premier Evian Spa unveiled at Hôtel Royal in France
Clinique La Prairie unveils health resort in China after two-year project
GoCo Health Innovation City in Sweden plans to lead the world in delivering wellness and new science
Four Seasons announces luxury wellness resort and residences at Amaala
Aman sister brand Janu debuts in Tokyo with four-floor urban wellness retreat
€38m geothermal spa and leisure centre to revitalise Croatian city of Bjelovar
Two Santani eco-friendly wellness resorts coming to Oman, partnered with Omran Group
Kerzner shows confidence in its Siro wellness hotel concept, revealing plans to open 100
Ritz-Carlton, Portland unveils skyline spa inspired by unfolding petals of a rose
Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners are just one of the names behind The Emory hotel London and Surrenne private members club
Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AUS$11.7m sister site in Australian outback
IWBI creates WELL for residential programme to inspire healthy living environments
Conrad Orlando unveils water-inspired spa oasis amid billion-dollar Evermore Resort complex
Studio A+ realises striking urban hot springs retreat in China's Shanxi Province
Populous reveals plans for major e-sports arena in Saudi Arabia
From climate change to resource scarcity, Exploration Architecture uses biomimicry to address some of the world’s major challenges. Its founder tells us how
From flooding old shopping malls to revolutionising housing, MVRDV’s founders like to do things differently