HEITO 1909 by David Chen

HEITO 1909 Pingtung County Park, Taiwan

HEITO 1909 Contents

Project Statement

Site Introduction

Site History

Project Narrative

Underground Factory

Five Circles

-Adventure Playground

-The Lost Forest

-Voyage

Conclusion

HEITO 1909

Project Statement

The First Adaptive Reuse of Industrial Heritage in Taiwan The Pingtung (Heito) Sugar Factory is located southeast of Pingtung city. An 860,000m2 area isolated in the middle of the city, public entry has been forbidden since 1909 until now—causing a huge city development problem. With the buildings destroyed and abandoned for several decades, the sugar factory inside is a mystery to the public.

The Heito project transformed Taiwan's historical sugar factory into a public gathering place, created a key area for development south of Pingtung city, reimagined the wasteland barrier that struck a decade ago, and integrated community resources around the city. Significantly, the park provided people a place to engage in quality natural environments within a metropolitan city.

Because preservation contradicts real estate development, preservation of historical buildings is a criticized idea in Taiwan, explaining why most sugar factory buildings are destroyed. The project sustained pressure to reuse the factory’s ruins to provide a reminder to citizens of the history of Heito.

This preservation and adaptive reuse of ruins into the landscape is the first and only in Taiwan. The unique design creatively incorporates the ruins and damaged structures into the urban facility for people to experience and study.

Pingtung Airfield

HEITO 1909

Site Introduction

Pingtung Military Airfield Pingtung Train Station

Site Location Design Site is located on both sides of Snake Creek and is 700 meters from the train station. The 860,000m2 are ideal for urban development for the north population center and south industrial area.

The Taiwan sugar company donated 160,000m2 for public use.

Sugar Factory/860,000m2 Site /160,000m2 Rail Road

Snake Creek Taiwan, Pingtung City (Heito). Pingtung Cilvil park (Heito Sugar factory)

HEITO 1909

Site Introduction

Fuxin

Road

County Park 90,000m2

Fuxin Entrance 11,700m2

Waterfront 18,500m2

Ind

Historical recreate 4,100m2

reek

l6 tria

Snake c

Waterfornt 22,900m2

Site Location In the land Taiwan Sugar company donated, divided Factory preservation area as county park, Fuxin Entrance as a connection, and waterfront Historical remain , as this project main topic.

Civil park 90,000m2 waterfront 54,700m2 Historical Recreate 4,100m2 Fuxin Entrance 11,700m2

HEITO 1909

Site Introduction

Heito Airfield Heito Library

Art museum Heito park

Pingtung university Education university Performance Gallery Cigarette Factory

Heito Sugar factory Base ball field

Site

City in Divide

Site

Uneven Development

Urban development in Japan colonist era. Airfield, sugar factory, railroad prevent the development of north and south urban structure imbalance.

Education and commercial development amass in the city’s northern part. The facility location and open space determined centuries ago are clearly outdated.

HEITO 1909

Millennium Park

Pingtung City park

Pintung University Park

Pingtung Education University

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Hi recstoric cen reati al ter on

Site Introduction

ort Spenter c

Perfor centermance Ta Facbasco tory

side Rivekr par

Heito Sugar Factory

a Lib

(Site)

ty un Coark p

O HEIT9 190

Green and Blue

Pedestrian Connection

The location on the city's edge connects to the farmland's outer ring, bringing nature and natural habitat to the city.

The river running through the city is a waterway connection with a pedestrian passage linking cultural facilities.

HEITO 1909 Site History

Heito bridge

Heito Airfield

Heito Shrine

Heito Park

Heito Train Station

Water source

1895_1994/ A city born from sugar During the 16th colonization era, sugar was a profitable commodity. The Dutch East India Company developed the sugar industry in Taiwan due to its geographical location and climate.

Agriculture Academic

HEITO Sugar factory (SITE)

HEITO 1909 Site History

HEITO 1909 /Sugar Factory In 1909, the Heito Sugar Factory was opened and begun operating—the sugar industry stimulating Heito's development. From 1910, the Governor’s Office fully implemented the Heito Street Urban Development Plan laying the foundation for Pingtung’s advancement as a modern city.

HEITO 1909 Site History

1939_1945 / USN bombing raid During World War II, cane sugar was an important cash crop and strategic goods. Sugar had medical purposes, and byproduct alcohol could be used as fuel. Heito Sugar Factory and Heito Airport became the main targets for the Allied attacks.

HEITO 1909 Site History

1977_1994 / Industrial pollution Because the sugarcane refinery created a large amount of bagasse, a factory was built to transform the waste into paper. The paper factory officially began operations in 1977. When it closed in 1994, the factory had 600 employees and 24-hour operations.

HEITO 1909 Site History

1994_2018 /Abandon and Forgotten In 1994, the paper factory was closed, resulting from the rising protests of environmental pollution. Public entry was forbidden since 1909, and most buildings and buried, so the park remained a mystery to the public for almost a century.

HEITO 1909 Site History

2018_2021 /History uncovered. It was unknown during the first phase of construction what would be revealed when site excavation started. The process quickly uncovered existing structures and a new directive to reuse the old structures in the new design.

HEITO 1909 Site History

Japanese Colonialism era/ Heito Sugar factory 1895-1939

World War II 1939-1945

Taiwan Government /Paper factories1946-1994

1994-2020

HEITO 1909

Project Narrative

Road-rail Bridge

(Underground Factory remains.)

(Wastewater Treatment Plant Basin. C01-C05) C05

C04

C03

Waterfront restoration

C01 & C02

Rail-yard garden

Underground plaza, Exhibition & Recreation

HEITO 2021/ Factory wasteland as urban park Before uncovering the buried structures, the design was going to be a typical urban waterfront park. The adaptive reuse of structures conserves resources and celebrates its history. The redesign incorporates the existing texture and reuses old structures into a new pavilion.

Waterfront restoration & wetland

HEITO 1909

Project Narrative

Waterfront Restoration Originally, Snake Creek had a natural environment. However, it was engineered into a concrete ditch for industrial wastewater disposal.

Improvements needed to open the waterfront for public activities included water purification systems, grading where seasonal flood occurs, and wetlands for natural restoration.

1945 snake creek during sugar factory

1977 snake creek during paper factory

HEITO 1909

Project Narrative

Factories nostalgia /Skyline The pavilion and pavement have certain angles parallel to the factories, railroad, and conveyor. A continuous line marks the factory circulation, representing the skyline from the past.

450

260

290

330

370

490

410

(maintain Vehicle 3.7m)

HEITO 1909

Project Narrative Underground Factory remains.

C00 C01 C02

C03

C04

C05

Wastewater Treatment Plant Basin.

HEITO 2020 /Excavation discovered

HEITO 1909

Ind

Fuxin

Road

Project Narrative

l6 tria

Rail road bridge

Water basin

reek

Sugar warehouse

Snake c

Train Yard

Structures of the past The design endeavored to recover and identify each remaining structure. Each building served a specific function in the park, providing a vital look into Heito development history. It tells the story of building the infrastructure and the impact on the city.

Underground Factory

Water feature

Paper Warehouse

HEITO 1909

Underground Factory

B1 A2”

B1” A1

A1”

A2”

B1”

Underground Factory The only historical remains surviving are the underground structures. Damage to the remaining wall is feared of future excavation work. “Point Cloud” was used to map and measure inside the cave and render the space and structure behavior.

A1”

20 Point cloud render

HEITO 1909

Underground Factory

01.Site /existing pit

02.Waterfront excavation

21.70

18.70 18.00

18.20 18.00

23.1 22.9

19.40 22.50

23.1 21.50 22.9

22.50

21.50

20.50 19.76

04.Finished elevation

03.Underground connection excavation.

EL-5 Land grading

Uncovered underground factories are a safety risk to the public with over 6m depth from top to ground. A passage of gentle slopes for visitors to walk is created by removing the infill between two structures and creating an inviting courtyard in the center.

HEITO 1909

Underground Factory

01.Site /existing pit

02.Underground excavation.

Underground Structures are not the same depth. A few sections need a retaining wall for structural reinforcement. The inner courtyard's foundation is designed as a raft base to store stormwater and pump drainage system to prevent future flooding in the area.

03. Connection components.

HEITO 1909

Underground Factory

The remains of factories create a peculiar landscape, design is to decide where the infill need to clear out, and reveal how much of structure.

HEITO 1909

Underground Factory

The past, present, and future Weathering steel structure is the material identified for new implants. There are four connection components and one model in the center— the connections function as a transition for time and space and a medium for a separate structure.

HEITO 1909

Underground Factory

I thought of a labyrinth of labyrinths, of one sinuous spreading labyrinth that would encompass the past and the future and in some way involve the stars.

The Garden of Forking Paths” by Jorge Luis Borges.

HEITO 1909

Underground Factory

The concrete stairs as buffer area for connecting the existing structure, also an audience seats for the event in the grass field. 26

HEITO 1909

Underground Factory

Exhibition of past glory The model sculpture made from weathering steel recreates the Taiwan sugar factory. The chimneys are a significant memory for the people of Pingtung, serving as a landmark upon arrival to the city. The structures are a cultural reminder of the powerful accomplishments of its ancestors.

Rebuilding the past also creates collective emotions for past glory. People can learn and remember about the city from the exhibition installed on the courtyard walls.

variety of artifact found in the excavation, trace back to 1909

HEITO 1909

Underground Factory

HEITO 1909

Underground Factory

Most mechanical equipment was sold to Thailand during the demolition. Fortunately, a few pieces of equipment remain to provide a reminder of the structure’s former function.

HEITO 1909 Five Circles

Waste Water basin The area had nine water basins of various sizes. Due to site limitations, only six could be preserved. Only the foundations of basins are intact— all structures above the ground are gone. The basins' diameter has three sizes: large 39m, medium 20.5m, and small 6m.

Section of existing structure

HEITO 1909 Five Circles

Radius

Domain

ARC Sequence

Age of Adventure The history of sugarcane cultivation was a time of exploration and agriculture. People from all over the world voyaged here to farm and extract sugar cane juice. Heito provides a spirit of that exploration with romps around nature not found in urban life.

Edge Deconstruct

HEITO 1909 Five Circles

The old structures served as a foundation for all pavilions and created a geometric landscape.

HEITO 1909

Adventure Playground

Adventure Playground The first two circles are smallest of the five but with a deeper slope creating a potential for climbing and exploration. Rather than a carefully plotted children’s playground, the existing structure provided a spontaneous and inspiring experience.

HEITO 1909

Adventure Playground

The slope was extended with an existing structure as a starting point to create a pavilion that can be climbed or used for shade. The structure and materials reference old machinery, a very strong and clearly defined steel structure.

HEITO 1909

Adventure Playground

The pavilion created a viewpoint as a reward for climbing to the top.

HEITO 1909 The Lost Forest

The Lost Forest For Japanese Emperor Hirohito’s 1923 visit to the sugar factory, workers built a temporary bamboo pavilion. Later the bamboo grew into a forest, becoming a tourist attraction of that era—a mythical place. Postwar, the location of the forest faded into obscurity.

HEITO 1909 The Lost Forest

The natural forest was depicted using factory-inspired materials such as steel to create 32 components. Each rises gradually higher, from 260cm to 530cm, and connects like a treetop. To create a rhythm sequence, the branch and small column shift differently.

HEITO 1909

The Lost Forest

In a subtropical place like Pingtung, this park needs shading—a place to relax and watch a performance on the middle platform.

HEITO 1909 The Lost Forest

The existing concrete structure still exists underneath. Evergreens do not survive in the local conditions, so the plantings included shrubs, such as Miscanthus.

HEITO 1909 Voyage

Voyage 40

The site is isolated, a giant lonely place of the city. People here were voyagers from Japan, prisoners of war, or contracted from other cities. The sense of loneliness existed under the massive sky, always working day, separated from everyone they knew and loved.

HEITO 1909 Voyage

Recreating a functional basin would waste water and be unsafe for visitors. Instead, we created a deck surrounded with stainless steel to keep water 15cm high. The pathway connects toward the center. A slope upward connects to the surface, creating an illusion of walking on water.

HEITO 1909 Voyage

On a clear day, water reflects the distant Da-Wu mountains, a spiritual symbol for Pingtung.

HEITO 1909 Conclusion

The past, present, and future Research and discovery of the existing structures provided a starting point for the design. Rather than being obsessed with iconic buildings, we modified the existing structures into different functions and created a deductive design process that resulted in new possibilities and successful outcomes.

HEITO 1909

Conclusion

Every weekend, the pavilion are booked for performance to the public.

HEITO 1909 Conclusion

In Taiwan, where adaptive reuse is not popular, there are gaps in our history because historical buildings were simply demolished instead of used as sources of inspiration. With Heito, a tiny portion of the era was saved through the inspiration of its excavated historical structures.

Hopefully, this project inspires an approach to defining the design of a space. Hopefully, people can see a wasteland and discover its potential.