Foaming by Earth—Wet Island EffectUrban Sprawl, Land Use, Open Space and Soil in Taipei
“SOIL” is a crucial element in shaping terrain, which in turn
forms the urban environment. Additionally, incorporating slopes
and hills can introduce hierarchy and diverse connections, as
opposed to a flattened, orthogonal configuration.
To address urban climate challenges, the concept of a “Wet
Island Effect” is proposed—a system designed to mitigate
climate phenomena and optimize land use in modern cities.
Course: Fall 2020-Spring 2021 Architecture Thesis (THU)
Instructor: Chia-Shun Liao
Location: Taipei,
Taiwan
Prototype: School / Mall / Exhibition Center / Metro Station / Sports Center
By horizontally spreading and vertically stacking, endless urbanization has flattened the urban living conditions.
The urban heat island may never be cooled down.
Five sites with different features demonstrated
the combination of public space and architectural
typologies corresponding to urbanization and
microclimate change.
Soil is embedded into the building
types and creates five prototypes of wet islands.
As the urban ecosystem carriers,
this type of building is like islands
scattered over the city.
They are the infrastructures
that can store soil and water, the façade of
public areas, and the monuments of the
high temperatures in the city.
Local Area / Sports Field Roof
Beneath the track, there are classrooms providing more spaces to the neighborhood as after-school classes, workshops, or enrichment programs, as well as sports fields.
Redevelopment Area / Roaming Mall
Browsing goods, people can roam in the mall on different levels. Slope shapes the mall into a mountain-like park in a city.
There are some floors providing public space, such as reading areas, kids’ playgrounds, and lounges.
Central Business District
/ Overlapping Fair
Grid structure provides spacious floors for special fairs and the roof with soil and plants, and a few interior spaces for permanent exhibitions.
Well-Amenity Area / Linking Park
Along with the MRT entrance, small events like markets or busking can be held under the shade of the slope and trees.
Linear parks are several green belts within the city.
Mix-Used Area / Ring Sports Center
As a main element in the building, the spectator seats are shaped in a circle.
The building is not only a sports center but also a container for disposing of soil from earthworks, increasing in height along with the increase in soil.