Yi-Shiung Construction Ltd

from Asia Pacific's Best 2022-2023

AsiaPacificWinners

2022-2023 W  E M  W is a project by Yi-Shiung Construction Limited. e pair of newly-constructed buildings located in Taiwan – a hotspot for companies and housing – encompasses multiple businesses and residences, with its ground level housing shops, and its upper floors playing host to residential units. Its unique form and contrast of black and white make for an eye-catching residential high rise development. It stands out as a classic and timeless landmark in Qingpu, where construction is now in full swing.

Qingpu, Taoyuan, the first stop upon arrival in Taiwan, is a booming economic area. The far-reaching transportation network of the Mass Rapid Transit, the Taiwan High Speed Rail and the Taoyuan Airport, together with row upon row of public facilities and high-rises for residences and trade corporations, makes it possible for this 21st century tech metropolis to thrive and prosper. Yi-Shiung Construction Limited chose to use a variety of materials, textures, division of windows and trims, blending classical gradations and modernist simplicity to create an undeniably striking building that will stand out amongst other buildings in Qingpu.

The buildings’ façades are inspired by and transformed from the imagery of the ‘general’s helmet’ used exclusively by leaders in the Japanese Edo Bakufu period. The spade shapes of the ‘general’s helmet’ on either side serve as supports keeping the buildings up, and are further rendered in the

form of arched sword brows at the top of the buildings, symbolic of a link with traditional Eastern culture.

Unlike the lower and upper parts of the structures that feature traditional elements from Eastern and Western cultures, the middle section of the design features modern architecture, with neat, sleek curves reaching up from below. With a simple colour palette using three to four colours, the building’s ground level is covered in warm-grey granite, the middle areas feature a mix of white and dark tiles, whilst the upper area is topped with dark brown hues.

In further contrast, the lower half of the buildings make use of elaborate stone carvings and chiselled decorations in traditional continental Europe as well as classical Roman columns steeped in perfect proportions and aesthetics. A blend of baroque and classical elements create a remarkable and timeless magnificence that visually impresses and stuns passersby.

The balconies of the housing units, transformed from the armors of Edo Bakufu, serve to turn modern Japanese architecture into sustainable vertical greenery on the façades of the buildings, adding greenness and life to the black and white floors of this outstanding project.

The position and height of the airconditioning facilities are mapped out and incorporated into the facade, thereby blending into the design without looking out of place. This exceptional idea has contributed to a better looking cityscape.

2022-2023