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Landscape Site Plan for Lite-On Corporate Headquarters shows a sloped roof garden to the right visitor entry / drop-off at the right center, high-rise tower rectangular in shape at the left center and lower court entry / drop-off for the exhibition hall / theater auditorium at the left. (Image courtesy of Tom Fox. SWA Group.) |
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View of Lite-On Corporate Headquarters from the riverfront. A 25-story high-rise office and research facility for an electronic technology company. The tower sits over a sloped roof terrace garden podium with public spaces for conferences, meetings, a theater / auditorium, exhibition space, lobby, café / food and parking at grade and below grade. (Image courtesy of Tom Fox. SWA Group.) |
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View of street front from river front parkway. Signage, light bollard with exhaust / intake, street trees, and seating formed the public realm. (Image courtesy of Tom Fox. SWA Group.) |
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View of the city of Taipei CBD from the tower overlooking the sloped-roof
terrace with the sunken court garden in the foreground. The
landscape vocabulary includes lawn, hedges, flower parterres,
seating, fountains, canals and stone walkways. (Image courtesy
of Tom Fox. SWA Group.) |
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View of the sloped roof terrace garden from above shows the vehicular ramp
above and below at both sides. Two Specimens Coral Trees mark the circulation. (Image courtesy of Tom Fox. SWA Group.) |
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Close up view of the sunken court garden for the café / food and conference area. Five water canals connect the upper garden with the lower
court garden.(Image courtesy of Tom Fox. SWA Group.) |
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Pedestrian walkways continue bridging over the sunken garden. Ten Madagascar almond trees
are planted alongside of the waterfall and stepped pool fountains
below. (Image courtesy of Tom Fox. SWA Group.) |
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Lite-On, a major Taiwanese electronics company, chose the site for their new corporate headquarters with the "Electronics Center" of Taipei overlooking the Gee Long River. The owner retained the Architect and Landscape Architect to work together to achieve three key objectives:
- Design an energy efficient, sustainable "green" building.
- Integrate the building and site with the landscape as an important component of being "green".
- Provide secure and functional outdoor space for passive use by employees and visitors.
The overall concept was a 25-story slender tower rising above a sloped landscape podium that covered much of the site. The podium built over four levels of below grade parking sloped toward the river on one side and toward the urban center on the other side. This configuration maximizes views from the tower and for users of the landscape gardens. The podium provided security, view gardens and a green roof, retaining storm water, storing it for irrigation, and providing insulation for the public spaces below.
The podium at the rear of the site slopes one story to the street where a major vehicular entry provides access into the recessed atrium court. The larger podium on the riverside slopes two stories down to the boulevard. A second vehicular drop off is on this podium at the front building face. As the garden slopes away from the tower stepped water features create visual and audio interest. The landscape features take into account the limitations on the soil depth, weight, etc., imposed by the structures below.
The view corridor of the long sloped podium is emphasized by linear planting beds, lawn panels, and granite walkways. Garden spaces are created to allow for informal seating and outdoor gatherings. Halfway down the garden, a light well opens to a courtyard below that is viewed from the cafeteria at the lower level. Stepped fountains in the courtyard and a grove of Madagascar almond (Terminalia mantaly) can be viewed from the cafeteria or from the pedestrian bridges on the podium above.
The two podium gardens are flanked on the street below by orchards of Camphor trees and Golden Rain trees also serving as street trees. The generous open space around the tower gives it distinction in a dense urban context, as well as playing a major role in accomplishing the vision of the owner as a total "green" development. Conceived before LEED accreditation, this was the first green roof envisioned and built by a private party in Taipei.
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View of the sunken court garden with the stepped pool fountains. (Image courtesy of Tom Fox. SWA Group.) |
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Detail of waterfall from the five roof terrace canals above. (Image courtesy of Tom Fox. SWA Group.) |
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View of the sunken court garden from the employee café / food service area. (Image courtesy of Tom Fox. SWA Group.) |
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Garden spaces are created with the roof terrace deck, stone benches, flowers, shrubs, and ground cover parterres for informal seating and outdoor gathering. (Image courtesy of Tom Fox. SWA Group.) |
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View of the sloped roof terrace garden with public building facilities below. (Image courtesy of Tom Fox. SWA Group.) |
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The two side entry roads for vehicular ramp up to the arrival / drop-off and garage below. The at-grade plaza is planted with a bosque of Camphor trees. (Image courtesy of Tom Fox. SWA Group.) |
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View of the interior entry drop-off to the Exhibition Hall and Theater / Auditorium. Six water runnels from the roof garden provide soothing sounds and a cooling ambience to the court opened to the sky. (Image courtesy of Tom Fox. SWA Group.) |
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The visitor / guest arrival / drop-off through space opened to the back as pictured from the sloped roof garden with the fountain pools at the foreground. (Image courtesy of Tom Fox. SWA Group.) |
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