tom wiscombe awarded second prize for port of kinmen competition

tom wiscombe awarded second prize for port kinmen competition
image © kilograph
all images courtesy of tom wiscombe architecture

resulting in the second place award for the port of kinmen passenger service center design competition, tom wiscombe architecture has proposed a facility composed of crystalline roof forms emerging from an elevated rectangular volume. the mixed-use complex functions primarily as a terminal for ferry and ship travel, while also hosting various commercial, administrative, and public program. the los angeles-based team’s design draws heavily from the local taiwanese culture and heritage, while seeking to represent a new era in communication, specifically in regards to the country’s relationship to mainland china. the structure is comprised of curving metal and glass surfaces, and features a green promenade meandering between the towering roof elements. the dynamic silhouette identifies the building from distant vantage points, with a geometry associated to swallowtail and saddleback roofs typical of kinmenese architecture. additionally, the scheme includes envelope patterning and coloration that is referential of the island’s vibrant built environment.

animated images complement the proposed project
video courtesy of tom wiscombe architecture

the design team describes the structure’s form as follows:

‘the building design is based on nesting five dynamically oriented crystals into an elevated horizontal box. these crystals push out into the box, as if stretching it, creating serene formal transitions from horizontal to vertical and hard to soft. in this way, the building appears simultaneously as a series of objects and a new whole object.’

as a result, the facility provides a variety of memorable experiences for travelers, diversified by alternating vaulted and compressed spaces. the towering forms also allow for stack effect to maintain a passively cooled environment. additionally, the high ceilings housed in the crystalline forms also serve to designate gathering areas. the angular elements are partially filled by various program elements such as retail, restaurants, and offices.

crystalline volumes emerge from the horizontal building, resulting in curved metal and glass surfaces
image © kilograph

the building’s envelope is characterized by three interwoven patterns, identified as freeform seams, maze-like projections, and cross-grain panels. the composition of the separate arrangement produces a heterogeneous effect related to brickwork of the local architecture, which is distinguished by diagonal banding. additionally, the project’s interior color palette, made of reds, oranges, yellows, and greens, relates to a vibrant tonation seen in kinmen island’s architecture, arts, animals, and plant life.

the building skin is characterized by three interwoven patterning methods
image © kilograph

the dynamic roof form creates a variety of interior spatial conditions
image © kilograph

the overall form is comprised of five crystalline forms nested within an elongated bar element
image © kilograph

a pathway meanders along the roofscape, surrounded by vegetation
image © kilograph

the vibrant interior color palette is referential to the local culture
image © kilograph

the towering crystalline geometries relate to the swallowtail and saddleback roofs typical of kinmenese architecture
image © tom wiscombe architecture

the facility primarily functions as a terminal for ferry and ship travel
image © tom wiscombe architecture

image © tom wiscombe architecture

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project info:

location: kinmen, republic of china
client: kinmen county government
floor area: 42,000 sqm
length: 330 m
architect: tom wiscombe architecture, inc.
JV partner: fei & cheng associates
structural: greg otto, walter p. moore, paul chen, supertech consultants international
MEP: gene lin, heng-kai engineering consultants
landscape: da vision
renders/animation: kilograph