‘gate of kaohsiung’ by forrest fulton architecture all images courtesy forrest fulton architecture

saint louis-based office forrest fulton architecture has sent us their design proposal for the new koahsiung cruise terminal and port service center in taiwan. resembling a giant, city-scale table, ‘gate of kaohsiung’ acts as an ‘urban room’, creating space for civic life while serving as the city’s threshold for passengers and cruise ships entering the harbor.

forrest fulton architecture: gate of kaohsiung - 2 rendering of the waterfront view

the design process examined ways in which the terminals and offices could stand proportionately relevant to the rest of the city’s scale. by elevating the port service center component of the project to over 50m off the ground level, a public plaza was generated under the ‘table top’. the resulting design aims to become a new and contemporary interpretation of a gateway into the city.

forrest fulton architecture: gate of kaohsiung - 3 interior plaza view

forrest fulton architecture: gate of kaohsiung - 4

the minimalist form reads as a pure white line framing the city in four directions. visitors coming into the city through the harbour terminals enter the plaza, which acts as the first departure point into the city and beyond, connecting adjacent developments such as a hotel, resort, park, and retail facilities. other features of the covered plaza area include a pattern carpet of trees, grass, and flora to create micro-environments within the multifunctional space.

forrest fulton architecture: gate of kaohsiung - 5 street view

forrest fulton architecture: gate of kaohsiung - 6 aerial view in context

forrest fulton architecture: gate of kaohsiung - 7 as a part of the city’s skyline

forrest fulton architecture: gate of kaohsiung - 8

forrest fulton architecture: gate of kaohsiung - 9 site plan

forrest fulton architecture: gate of kaohsiung - 10 floor plan / table top level (+51.50)

forrest fulton architecture: gate of kaohsiung - 11 floor plan / table slab level (+55.50)

forrest fulton architecture: gate of kaohsiung - 12 floor plan / plinth level (+4.60)

forrest fulton architecture: gate of kaohsiung - 13 floor plan / ground level (+0.00)

forrest fulton architecture: gate of kaohsiung - 14 floor plan / basement parking (-3.60)

forrest fulton architecture: gate of kaohsiung - 15 section

forrest fulton architecture: gate of kaohsiung - 16 city and ships dwarf offices and terminal at ground

forrest fulton architecture: gate of kaohsiung - 17 lift offices to make city canopy

forrest fulton architecture: gate of kaohsiung - 18 legs frame space as city gateway

project info:

terminal and service center area: 25,000 m2 client: kaohsiung harbor bureau, ministry of transportation and communication, taiwan status: 2010 competition entry project team: federico cavazos, jared fulton, brandon shigeta