MVRDV, together with Nanhai development, unveils its proposal for the Taipei Twin Towers to revitalise the central station area of Taipei. The design of the towers is characterized by a ‘pile of blocks’ that generates a vertical urban neighbourhood. Each box serves as a visual expression of its program through an array of interactive media façades. The project is designed as a ‘times square for Taiwan,’ offering a vibrant and charismatic destination, that re-establishes the central station area of Taipei as the city’s premier location for retail, working, and tourism.
The site of the proposed MVRDV Taipei Twin Towers project, is currently occupied by the city’s main station. To be developed by Nan Hai Corporation, this hub services the city’s railway, airport lines, and metro networks, the new buildings will be constructed over the existing station. Several pre-existing plazas, will meanwhile be unified and redeveloped. Larger blocks complete two towers reaching 337 meters and 280 meters and make up the dominant image of the buildings when seen from afar.
These larger blocks house offices, cinemas, and two hotels. At ground level, the design proposes a sunken plaza, with an array of public interventions influenced by the history of the site. structures marking the former locations of the original station will transform the area into an ‘archaeological study,’ exhibiting the city’s heritage. An elevated walkway connecting the station will become the spine of the project.