A harbor-front logistics + commercial hybrid
Qianzheng harbour in Kaohsiung city is the largest and busiest fishing harbour in Taiwan, and the engine of the nation’s fishing industry. Alongside the continued development of the Kaohsiung's port area, recent development plans emphasise the continual upgrading of the harbour environment, the construction of new portside facilities, a new seafood trading centre, and the promotion of recreation and tourism functions in the harbourside area.
This project occupies a prime position to the south-west corner of Qianzhen harbour, converting what was an old industrial site, into a new industrial-plus-commercial hybrid encompassing state of the art cold storage logistics center and the largest fishing seafood market and harbor-front food-hall in the south of Taiwan
This large scale 9 story building proposes a new building typology making the most of the unique opportunities offered by the harbour environment. At its core is a much in-demand modern cold storage & logistics facility - offering 120,000 m² of refrigerated and super-chilled storage spaces to let, serving the seafood and other frozen food logistics market in the region. Each level offer also offers 1000 m² of lettable food processing manufacturing spaces that may be operated in conjunction with the cold storage.
A 15,000 m2 tourism-oriented seafood market and food hall - the largest in this region - occupies the lower two public levels. Inside, over 100 specialty wholesale stalls are congregated, displaying fresh seafood and processed seafood, with highlights such as live auction events for catch of the day, king crab section, fresh lobsters, and the tuna section with entire yellow-fin tunas on display.
The architecture fundamentally reflects its industrial roots and operational logic. Cold storage facilities take the basic form of a regular multi-level box, characterised by super-insulated walls on three sides, with openings allowable only in non-refridgerated zones and programs. Delivery truck terminals and goods drop off are placed along one long side on the ground level. Highly efficient high speed loading lifts and platforms comprise the building's many inner logistics cores.
The design goes beyond the stark industrial aesthetic, highlighting the potential for transparency, views, plays on atmospheric light, and a warmness of tactility where possible. Richly textured claytiles evocative of old brickwork is applied to the entire facade. As such, the building speaks of the legacy and imagery of great brick buildings in harbours across the world – the journeys of fishing vessels reminded as part of a global collective journey.Six types of tiles with varying grains and textures, varying from red to orange to silver and brown, create a rich and varied expression which changes in response to the dance of light and shade by the sea, echoing the complexity and plentitude of aquatic life in the sea.
