Construction has begun on an operations centre designed by Dutch architect MVRDV for Taiwan’s state-owned energy supplier
Located in the Changhua Coastal Industrial Park, near to Taichung City in western Taiwan, Taipower’s Sun Rock development is clad in solar panels, which will generate the energy used on site.
Described by MVRDV as a “manifesto in a building”, the structure’s rounded shape contains a slope on the southern side and a tall dome on the north, as well as high walls and an angled façade to maximise solar generation.
Winy Maas, MVRDV’s founding partner, said: “Sun Rock is a functional and prosaic building, in a way – the main purpose is storage and maintenance.
“Yet it also has another important function: to communicate. When people see such a mass of solar panels, with every part of the façade oriented to catch the sun’s rays, they will have no doubt about how the building gets its energy and the priorities of its owner.”
Sun Rock will contain sustainable energy equipment, offices and a public gallery. The building’s centre will have a data room inside an atrium, displaying Taipower’s live generation of renewable energy.
The project is being built by Taiwan’s Reiju Construction and is due to be completed next year.
