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TAIWAN CAPITAL PLAZA DESIGN COMPETITION

The Office of the President of R.O.C.
Taipei City Government
Bureau of Urban Development

I. Objective

In 1999, Asiaweek ranked Taipei as number two among its survey of 40 major Asian cities. Taipei, the foremost city in Taiwan, has played an increasingly important role, not only in Asia, but all throughout the world. For more than one hundred years, however, there remains an absence of comprehensive planning and design in the utilization of the Plaza, which includes the areas in front of the Office of the President, which is also the heart of both the city's and the country's administrative operations.

Since the city's settlement in the 19th century, the Plaza, which was also the city center of pre-modern downtown Taipei, has been the political center of Taiwan. With the democratization and modernization of Taiwan on both political and social levels, the general planning and usage of the plaza in front of the Office of the President (the Plaza) have thus become important issues as part of the progress of democratic development and globalization. In recent years, the "Plaza" not only witnessed the rapid growth and globalization of Taiwan's political and social climate, it also served as the country's gateway, the focus of the international community on the globalization efforts of Taipei city.

Well-known boulevards and plazas such as the entrance to the Louvre, Champs-Elysees, Buckingham Palace, the Hyde Park in London, and Washington D.C., all have adequate provisions for space utilization and are part of the comprehensive urban landscape design. These areas are likewise proud tourist attractions. For Taipei residents, the redesign of the Plaza is an important and urgent task as we usher in the new millennium under the leadership of our new President.

Therefore, as in other major capital urban planning projects, an international design competition will be held to generate a design proposal for the Plaza. The objective of this major international design competition is not only to summon an ideal design scheme that is most appropriate for the Plaza, but also a proposal that has the potential to be realized as part of urban redevelopment projects that will be carried out in the near future. Through the vast participation of the competition, we hope to generate adequate discussions and possibilities as references for the future development of Taipei city, both in part and as a whole, to insure a successful review of the space utilization and general urban landscape of old downtown Taipei. The project's four design objectives are as follows:

1. To create an image of the capital district and enhance the unique, appealing, and democratic image of the Office of the President as the city center, while providing open spaces for the general public.

2. To preserve the city center's unique historical elements and to reflect the collective memories of old Taipei, its sense of place, historical heritage and architectural spirit.

3. To promote daytime and nighttime public activities, thus creating an efficient, energized, humanistic and friendly public space.

4. To carry on the tradition of an area in which diverse professional, representing vast realms of industries, tend to form in districts and clusters of zones. It is crucial to improve revitalize the relationship of these characteristic and functional zones, in their interaction as a whole and general living quality through appropriate land development and public construction.

II.Design Principles

The objective of the design competition is to review the existing urban public spaces and functionality, and, in addition, to present an integrated design for the overall urban landscape. It aims to create an environment that is reflective of the collective memories of the general public, and an easily identifiable symbol for the city and the country's heritage. We foresee that a successful scheme will bring out the cultural and historical characteristics of Taipei, thus making this democratic city more transparent, more capable of representing the overwhelmingly internationalized citizens and the residents of the city, reflecting their much accomplished political environment, economy and lifestyles. The design principles crucial for the participants to consider are as follows:

1. Urban Image
The Plaza is located at the center of the nation's political activities. Taking into account of the democratic development in Taiwan, the overall design should portray the Plaza as a bold yet elegant gateway to the nation's capital, while easily approached by the people.

2. Urban Texture
The Office of the President should be harmoniously with the surrounding urban texture. The design should provide a low to medium degree of development on the areas covered, and should comply with the building height limitations within the area in order to maintain the existing visuals and urban landscape. (Refer to Figure 2-1, Figure Ground and 2-2, Height of Buildings within the Area.)

3. Land Use
By taking into account of the perception of the general public toward the Plaza and the utilization of the surrounding environment, the design may incorporate cultural, educational, commemorative spaces figures and other public facilities. (Refer to Figure 2-3, Current Use of the Buildings and Structures.) In addition, since the area is a national plaza, spaces should be reserves for future Laborer, soldiers, or under-privileged organizations.

4. Historic Context
The design should honor and preserve the relics and historical buildings within the area. It should be able to manifest the area's unique historical and cultural resources as well as their historical significance. (Refer to Figure 2-4, Location of Historical Buildings and Relics.) In addition, due to the area's development started from Ching Dynasty, through Japanese occupation, and arrive at the present, the area also possesses vast historical resources and documents. These collective diverse historical and cultural information should be placed into proper use during the reconstruction process, with considerations for display areas for the aforementioned historical items.

5. Security Considerations
The various office buildings around the Plaza are the locations of various important government agencies. The proposed design should take into account the security requirements for the Office of the President; security in the area should not be compromised due to flawed designs. The design should allow for comprehensive security measures, monitoring over the entire area, and the setting of security safety zones when necessary. In addition, the excavation for basements are not allowed within the 30-meter area right in front of the Office of the President. (Refer to Figure 2-5, Location of Safety Isolation Zones to be Established During Emergency Situations.)

6. Public Activities
The Plaza's design should satisfy the need of the different public activities to be held in front of the Office of the President and in nearby areas. The design should incorporate a meaningful theme that addresses the requirements of such public activities, and should allow for sufficient space for the following activities:

a. Celebrations and commemorative activities in front of the Office of the President: These include presidential inaugurations, foreign dignitaries receptions, Double Ten military parades, New Year's Day flag raising ceremonies, and other holiday activities and festivities. Please note that the space required for military ceremonies during the welcoming of foreign dignitaries receptions (including the space required for military parades and brass bands) extends at least 75 meters in length.

b. Activities carried out by the general public: These include the traditional and cultural exhibitions on New Year's Day, "open house" of the Office of the President, general pedestrian activities, musical events, art exhibits and other tourist activities.

7. Pedestrian Circulation
With a comprehensive public transportation network, the development of the Capital Core District will focus on pedestrian zones in the future. The area's design should provide access to the different public transportation systems such as the mass rapid transit system and public buses. In addition, parking requirements of the government vehicles at the nearby government offices, together with their traffic route, should also be taken into account. Within reasonable traffic situation confines, streets may be integrated to form a convenient, comfortable zone for the pedestrians.

8. Evacuation and Exits During Emergencies
Due to the different mass activities that take place in the area, evacuation and safety measures during emergencies should be taken into account.

9. Nightscape
The design should consider the after-hour artificial illumination of the public buildings in the Capital Core District and the Office of the President. The design should provide adequate nighttime lighting for public activities. The different lighting plans that are underway or are being planned are as detailed in Figure 2-6, Lighting Plan for the Capital Core District.

10. Green Environment
Due to the hot summer seasons in Taipei, adequate amount of plants should be incorporated into the design to relief the hot temperature, thus providing a more soothing and comfortable environment.

III. Competition Rules

(I) Eligibility
All persons and organizations specializing in architecture, landscape, or urban design are invited to submit design proposals. Since the eventual project implementation will be carried out after the winning design is chosen, the participants should consider the technical requirements and feasibility of the design during the design process. In the detailed design during the negotiation and contract signing phase, the designer should also present a valid architect's license as required by the laws of the R.O.C. (Cooperation with domestic parties are allowed in the succeeding phases.) However, agencies, companies, as well as partners, affiliated with the judging committee shall not be eligible for participation.

(II) Entry Selection
1. The winning entries will be determined into two phases:
(1) Phase 1: Five entries will be selected to participate in Phase 2 of the selection process.
(2) Phase 2: The five selected entries from Phase 1, along with proposals submitted by the short list of international architects invited by the organizer, will compete at the second selection process. Three outstanding entries will then be selected.
2. Architects Invited by the Organizer:
Adriaan Geuze
Meinhard van Gerkan
Fumihiko Maki
Rem Koolhaas
Itsuko Hasegawa
Richard Rogers
Jorge Silvetti
Peter Wilson
Ken Yeang
Zaha Hadid

(III) Competition Site
To enable the Plaza design to fully reflect the image of the nation? capital, the areas to be covered by the design project are divided into two: areas included planning areas and design areas. (Refer to Figure 3-1, Competition Site)
1. Planning Areas
With the Office of the President? as the center, a general and long-term planning shall be developed taking into account the areas surrounding the Office of the President.
2. Design Areas
The areas that will be included in the design boundary are the Office of the President and the Plaza, 228 Memorial Park, Chiang Kai-shek Park, Ketagalan Avenue, Taipei Guest Hall, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is the actual project design where a design will be developed while taking into account the areas included in the redesign plan.

(IV) Text Descriptions
Text descriptions and explanations accompanying the design shall be written in Chinese, with added explanations in English if necessary. This will facilitate judging and subsequent future public displays of the submitted entries, as well as communication and feedback from the general public.

(V) Schedule

Event Time
Inquires: 1 January 2001 to 31 May 2001
Deadline: 29 June 2001
Preliminary Screening: Temporarily set on 17 July 2001 (To be determined by the final public announcement)
Final Selection: Temporarily set on 19 July 2001 (To be determined by the final public announcement)

(VI) Submission Adjunct
1. Address for the Submission of Entries:
Taipei City Government Bureau of Urban Development
9th Floor, No. 1, Shihfu Road, SinYi District, 110 Taipei
2. Contact Telephone: 886-2-27258279
3. Fax: 886-2-27593318
4. Contact Person: Chien-Hwa Chen, Wen-Shin Wang
5. Submission Requirement:

All application documents should be sealed. No names of applicants or any other identifying marks or symbols shall appear on the documents except packages, application form and sealed document.
(1) Entry Form: To be filled up clearly and sealed inside the envelope provided by the Organizer. The number tag shall be affixed to the envelope seal.

(2) Number Tags: To be affixed on the lower right corner on the front of all submitted drawings and design explanations. No erasures, names of applicants, or any other identifying marks or symbols shall appear on these documents.

(3) Pictures and Illustrations: The metric system and Arabic numerals shall be used on all pictures and illustrations. The pictures and illustrations shall be affixed to A0 (840 mm x 1190 mm) illustration boards to facilitate delivery. The boards should be able to stand on their own to facilitate public display of the designs. The submitted pictures and illustrations shall include the following:
A. Design Concept Explanation
B. Overall Design Concept of the Planning Area and its Surrounding Areas: Should convey the overall development concept for the entire area (Scale 1:2000).
C. Master plan for the Design Area Should convey the actual design of
the areas covered. (Scale 1:1000).
D. Land and Building Use Concept: Explanations on the concepts for any proposed change in the current use of the land or buildings, or for any proposed additional buildings or underground facilities.
E. Relevant Perspective and/or Cross-section Drawings: The applicant should, at his own discretion, clearly explain the submitted perspective and/or cross-section drawings.
F. Supporting drawing and diagrams: Illustration on the proposed landscape, nighttime lighting, among others, submitted at the applicant's own discretion.

The illustrations submitted shall not be numbered more than eight (8), and should be able to clearly demonstrate the concept and contents of the design. The illustrations may be in color or in black and white. (4) Design Explanations (10 copies): Should be written on A3 (420 mm x 297 mm) size paper from left to right, the contents of which shall contain the other explanations not readily conveyed in the large illustrations. In principle, the explanations shall not exceed 30 pages long (excluding the cover page, back cover, and table of contents). (5) Scale Model: No scale models will be accepted for the design competition. (6) Packaging: The name of the mailer and the time of mailing shall be indicated on all submitted packages, except those that are sent by personal couriers. The packaging of the illustrations and explanations shall be determined by the participants at their own discretion, taking into consideration for protection against moisture and other factors that might otherwise damage the presentation materials during shipping and handling.
(7) Submission of Entries: All submitted entries should be forwarded or mailed to the Taipei City Government Bureau of Urban Development from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday, between 1 June 2001 to 29 June 2001 (Taipei time). The deadline for the submission of entries is 5 p.m., 29 June 2001 (Taipei time). No entries will be accepted after the said deadline.
(8) An entry will be refused in the event of any of the following:
A. Where the entry and other relevant information are not forwarded (mailed) within the specified time limits.
B. Where the number tags are not affixed in accordance with the aforementioned stipulations or where the submitted documents are incomplete.
C. Where the stipulations and requirements of the Guidelines are violated and where the judging committee has decided to refuse such entry after the Organizer has forwarded such violation to the committee.
(9) Return of Entries: Entries submitted will not be returned. Domestic participants who wish to reclaim their entries may state so on the application form. After the exhibition of the selected entries, the participants can present their ID's and reclaim their entries from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on 17 August 2001 (temporary schedule). Otherwise, the Organizer will not be responsible for the safe-keeping of the presentation materials. International entries will not be returned; international participants may keep a duplicate of their work at their own discretion.

(VII) Entry Selection and Prizes

1. Selection of Entries and Prizes
(1) The five entries selected during Phase 1, along with the short list of invited participants invited by the organizer, will each receive NT$ 7 hundred thousand as subsidy for their work.
(2) Three entries will then be selected during Phase 2, where the prize money will be as follows: NT$3 million for the first prize, NT$2 million for the second prize, and NT$1 million for the third prize.
(3) The entries selected in Phase I and the name of the winners of Phase II will be announced on 20 July 2001 (the exact time will be based on the last public announcement made). The Organizer will separately inform the winners to claim the prize money.
(4) The aforementioned amounts include income tax (10% domestic, 20% foreign).

2. Duties and Obligations of the Selected Entries and Winners
(1) Copyright
A. The designers will retain the rights of authorship and credit to their work and any literatures related to their entries.
B. The Organizer may publicly display, publish the artworks and writings of the entries along with judges' reports, and issue commemorative items based on the entries, to which the respective designers and judges shall not object.
(2) Follow-up Project Implementation and Cooperation Required from the Winner

A. The winning entry shall be presented to the public. Public opinions shall be obtained and used by the relevant government agencies and departments as basis for discussions.

B. The Organizer may, if necessary, request the winning designer to built a scale model to expedite the subsequent display of the design entry, communication and feedback with the general public, and presentation to the relevant government agencies. The cost and scale of the model shall be negotiated separately with the Organizer; in principle, however, the cost of the scale model shall not exceed NT$1 million. The building of the scale model shall be considered as an obligation of the winning designer.

C. If necessary, the first winning designer should be present in Taiwan to participate in presentations and discussions. The Organizer will subsidize for the travel expense.

D. The winning designer shall revise his work in accordance with the different comments obtained. The scope of work for the design competition ends when the revised design is subsequently be presented to the President for verification. The Taipei City Government will initiate another project to carry out subsequent actual design and construction.

E. The Taipei City Government will serious consider carrying out price negotiations with the winning designer for the aforementioned actual design and construction tasks. In the event that the winning designer is unable to perform carry out such tasks or that the Taipei City Government has other special factors under consideration, construction of the first prize design may be commissioned to other parties.

(VIII) Inquiries
1. Inquires related to the design competition should be forwarded to the design competition website or in writing to the Taipei City Government Bureau of Urban Development before 31 May 2001.

2. The aforementioned inquiries shall be addressed in a public Q&A session temporarily set on 7 February 2000. (The definite date will be posted on the project website at a late date.) Participants may decide whether to personally attend the Q&A session at their own discretion.

(IX) Others
1. The Organizer will request the invited participants to come to Taipei to familiarize themselves with the area covered by the design project before the deadline for the submission of entries. Apart from providing design competition information and explanations, the Organizer will also provide subsidy for the necessary travel expenses. However, the invited participant should deliver a speech on a relevant technical subject and carry out exchanges with relevant domestic industry groups and professionals while in Taipei.

2. Explanations of all documents related to the project shall be carried out in the Chinese language. In case additional clarifications are required, the interpretation of the Organizer shall prevail. 3. All participants to the design competition shall guarantee that their submitted works are originals and the only production of their kind, and have not infringed upon the copyrights of others; otherwise, the violating participant shall be responsible for all resulting compensations and liabilities.

4. In the event of legal disputes between the Organizer and the participants or the winner, such disputes shall be resolved in good faith in accordance with laws, regulations, and this Guideline, taking into account the mutual interests and fairness. In the event of litigation resulting from the absence of an agreement, the laws of the R.O.C. shall prevail and the Taipei district court shall serve as the court of first jurisdiction.

website: http://www.capitalplaza.taipei.gov.tw/index3.html

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