Experience the ecological arts and culture in the green building leisure park in Tamsui

A low-profile and humble architecture that integrates Tamsui’s natural scenery and culture

This feeling is related to the architectural style of the village. At the beginning of the design and construction, the Fabulous Group who built the village from scratch has set the tone that the architecture could not steal the scene of the original ecological charm of the nearby Tamsui area. Therefore, unlike other high-rise shopping malls and hotels in popular tourist areas, the two buildings in the village followed the land shape and are humbly hidden within the surrounding landscape. At the same time, the simple white outlook of the buildings not just accentuates the surrounding greenery, but also eliminates the surface heat and reduces high indoor temperatures.

When I look around, the one-by-one semi-circular arches of the building façade are quite eye-catching. The design echoes the image of the arches of the Hobe Fort, as if the entire building has become a military site. On the other hand, in order to make the overall appearance not too monotonous and boring, there are squares between these arches for creating an extra interest.

Vigorously restore the Mifenliao Creek to bring back the home of native species

In addition to the pleasing white buildings, the village also has a large green rooftop lawn and a large green space which also capture visitors’ attention. At first, the team chose a plant cover on account of the adaptation of the architecture to the original green landscape nearby. With this insistence, the scenery of the entire village blends with surrounding natural landscape extended around the Tamsui Itteki Memorial House and the golf club without disharmony. On the other hand, the green roof also contributes to the efficient thermal insulation of the building and reduces the heat island effect.

The village lies next to the Mifenliao Creek, which had become a stinky drain because it flew through multiple settlements for a long time. The Fabulous Group spent a lot of money on restoring the water environment though the undertaking is not part of its duties. Starting from the ecological survey, it took another two years to purify the water quality with appropriate ecological engineering method and to create cascading waterfalls to secure animal migration, increase dissolved oxygen in the water, and prevent creek from flooding. Nowadays, the Mifenliao Creek has not only become a waterfront accessible space for travelers to relax, but also a symbiotic environment for birds, fish, shrimps, shellfish and crabs. These efforts promoted the improvement of local ecosystem in Tamsui.

A village that is not only “green”, but also very energy-efficient 

Then let’s take a look at the energy-saving design of the buildings in the village. First, the design team used the outside layer of the exterior wall to create energy-saving effects. Skylights were installed on the roofs of the hotel and the mall to allow natural light in, forming a beauty of light and shadow intersecting with the shapes of the windows on the walls. During the daytime, since these areas do not need extra lighting, the energy consumption can be reduced.

In addition, the village has introduced several active designs, including a solar power system and the Energy Management System (EMS). The former one can save the electricity costs by at least more than 200,000 a year for the buildings; the latter one is connected to energy-consuming appliances such as water chillers, monitoring appliances daily to allow managers to identify power problems and rectify any errors at any time.

The top floor of the Golden Tulip Hotel in the park allows visitors to enjoy the beauty of Tamsui from a fresh perspective

As for the ventilation, because the village is near the estuary, the "north wind disasters" might present a serious threat to the comfort in the building. Therefore, the design team hid the entrances and the activity spaces of the buildings. It is possible to miss the entrances to the mall and the hotel if you don’t pay attention. As for water treatment, a rainwater harvesting device on the roof is installed in the village, and the surrounding green plants are irrigated by using this harvested rainwater. At the same time, permeable pavements are also used, and the soil pores of the large planting area also facilitated water penetration and enabled water conservation of the land base.

Another highlight worth mentioning is that the Fabulous Group has made a good use of its own skill: Building Information Modeling (BIM). With the data of sun exposures, wind speeds, temperatures, degree of humidity, precipitation and other information collected by micro weather stations, not only the designers are able to experience spaces in the building in advance, but the actual performance of the buildings can also be inferred. The system helped to reduce the possibility of incorrect designs or waste of resources during construction.

If you take a closer look at every detail of the village, you can indeed feel that it is not easy to build this certified green building leisure village. In the process, the Fabulous Group also made quite a few tough decisions on economic profits and green design, and these decisions have also made the mall and the hotel unique. Even though the facade is not as magnificent as most hotels, it still enriches travelers’ maps with the simple atmosphere of green buildings and Tamsui’s native natural ecology.