The Taijiang National Park Administration Office on Wednesday confirmed that it has accepted a World Architecture Festival nomination for its administrative center, which doubles as its tourist center.
Further details about the nomination would be announced by the relevant authorities, it said.
Established in 2009 as the eighth national park, Taijiang National Park (台江國家公園) is Taiwan’s only national wetlands park.
Photo: Tsai Wen-chu, Taipei Times
The nominated building was the first government structure in southern Taiwan to attain the highest rating — diamond — in a national green building assessment, the office said.
The festival is expected to announce the winners in Amsterdam in December, it said.
The building was designed to evoke the imagery of the surrounding area, the office said.
To accommodate the park’s wetlands terrain, the building was designed to partially sit on stilts, which, along with its white exterior, makes it look like a gaggle of black-faced spoonbills and little egrets from above, it said.
When viewed from ground level, the building resembles a salt pile, a tribute to the area’s salt fields in early Taiwanese history, the office said, adding that the slope of the roof is supposed to evoke the image of the Central Mountain Range’s ridgeline from the perspective of local residents.
The office plans to conduct tours via non-motorized, eco-friendly vessels, such as canoes or paddleboards, around the building.
The aim is to allow participants to experience their proximity to nature, the office said.
The tours would be available from 1pm to 5pm today, and from early morning to 5:20pm tomorrow and on Sunday, it said.
All visitors would be welcome until slots are full and registration is to take place on site, the office said, adding that more information is available on the park’s Web site.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS