this sewage treatment plant in taiwan references a purifying mountainous dreamland

the ‘peach blossom spring’ is a fable written by chinese poet tao yuanming in the year 421. the work describes the poet’s version of utopia where its inhabitants lead an ideal existence in harmony with nature, unaware of the outside world. in the story, mountains surrounded and protected a hidden path that led to the dreamland and kept it from being discovered.

all images by highlite images

habitech architects referenced the famous fable in its design of this sewage treatment plant in taiwan. ‘like the spirit behind the peach blossom spring, the proposed sewage treatment center is a cleansing plant that purifies and cleanses water; hence we took the image of mountains portrayed in the fable of the ‘peach blossom spring’ as our main theme and concept for this project,’ explains the design team.

the scheme is located in northwestern taiwan

located in northwestern taiwan, the taoyuan sewage treatment project features a double skin that lends the building its mountainous profile. a modular steel frame covers all of the structures, while gaps between the aluminum louvers accommodate the region’s hot climate. this not only provides shelter from the sun, but also allows cooling breezes the penetrate the building. the undulating curved form also represents the water that flows through the site daily.

the taoyuan sewage treatment project is defined by its double skin

a modular steel frame covers all of the structures

an intriguing play of light and shadow is created

the design references both the mountainous landscape and fluid water

the purification pond with the treated wastewater

‘the purification pond featuring the treated wastewater is designed to be the focal point of the ecological education center,’ explains the architects. ‘the curved louvered facade forms a mountain dome space that accommodates flower, birds, sunshine, water, breeze, and rain to interact with each other, making it a perfect environment for an ecological educational experience.’

the building takes on a different appearance at night

gaps between the aluminum louvers accommodate the region’s hot climate

cooling breezes are able to penetrate the building

an aerial view of the site

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project info:

name: taoyuan sewage treatment project
architecture firm: habitech architects
lead architects: peichin hsu
project location: taoyuan , taiwan
completion year: 2017
gross built area: 3,527.69 sqm
photography: highlite images

other participants:
structure: kejian joint structure technician
electrical water supply and drainage: xiangyuan international industrial co., ltd.
landscape: old farmer landscape architecture co.
hundred pages: dahe advanced engineering consulting co., ltd.: zhunyang metal co., ltd.