Lotus Tower
Project Location: Taichung, Taiwan
Building Size: 400,000 SF
The buildings and site of the Lotus Tower are conceived as a unified sculpture, weaving together nature and man-made public spaces and structures. Programmatically, Lotus is a multi-faceted urban park and tourist destination. It includes a Grand Plaza arboretum, multiple observation decks and restaurants, the Taichung Museum, governmental administrative offices, recreational paths, a dramatic cable bridge, a crystalline tower with an exposed elevator ride to the top through a vertical garden, interactive educational displays describing the sustainable building aspects, and a large interactive water park.
The water park includes a water purification plant, a boat house, a Tea House island, and a multi-tiered boating pond with waterfalls. It is punctuated by a sculpted grid of stone column “dancing” fountains that are illuminated at night and are choreographed to music. The boat house includes a restaurant and a large dock that connects to a floating tea house. The dock also serves as the stage for musical performances. In addition to the project’s programmatic requirements, the building serves as a civic symbol for the city’s rising fortunes, and is designed specifically to embody their progressive environmental values.