Sky Green

Sky Green is located in the densely developed, vibrant Nantun District of Taichung, Taiwan. The site consists of two rectangular plots, one facing the main city thoroughfare, Gongyi Road, and the other facing Daying Street, a quieter secondary street. The brief called for a sustainable mixed-use residential development in the heart of the city, the first of its kind in Taichung. The development is a prototype that represents Taichung’s aspirations towards fostering sustainable, sociable living in a high-density urban environment. The design was tailored to suit the local culture and subtropical climate, and to ensure safety during earthquakes and typhoons. The development consists of two 26-storey residential towers, and retail spaces from the ground level to level three. The two residential towers house generous recreation facilities for indoor and outdoor activities, offering residents ample common spaces, with a community plot ratio of 190%. Sky Green features greenery on all sides, making it the first building in Taichung with a green plot ratio of 320%. Landscaping is treated as a key material in creating the building envelope. The façade elements create deep sun-shading and the greenery acts as an active, living interface between the interior and exterior environment. The façade of Tower A features cantilevered, protruding balconies with trees and Tower B’s façade is characterized by mesh screens that serve as sun-shades and a trellis for creeper plants. Large sky terraces extend the living space of residents from indoors to outdoors, creating a biophilic environment within a high-rise development. Every unit is designed to enable natural cross-ventilation, minimizing the reliance on air-conditioning. The architectural strategies of Sky Green break away from the existing building fabric of the city. They are an adaptation of the Singaporean green, communal, tropical model to a subtropical, seismically active location, proving that the Singaporean model is appealing and adaptable to a substantial portion of the globe. Sky Green was used as a project reference during the conceptualisation of new Taichung City planning regulations, launched in March 2019, incentivising the incorporation of skygardens and lush greenery in high-rise developments. As the first high-density development in Taichung that provides generous recreation facilities and ample integrated green spaces, the project has proven to be successful, and has become the new benchmark. To date, 50 new projects in the city are closely modelled on the Sky Green typology.