resulting in the second place award for the port of kinmen passenger service center design competition, tom wiscombe architecture has proposed a facility composed of crystalline roof forms emerging from an elevated rectangular volume. the mixed-use complex functions primarily as a terminal for ferry and ship travel, while also hosting various commercial, administrative, and public program. the los angeles-based team’s design draws heavily from the local taiwanese culture and heritage, while seeking to represent a new era in communication, specifically in regards to the country’s relationship to mainland china. the structure is comprised of curving metal and glass surfaces, and features a green promenade meandering between the towering roof elements. the dynamic silhouette identifies the building from distant vantage points, with a geometry associated to swallowtail and saddleback roofs typical of kinmenese architecture. additionally, the scheme includes envelope patterning and coloration that is referential of the island’s vibrant built environment.
the design team describes the structure’s form as follows:
‘the building design is based on nesting five dynamically oriented crystals into an elevated horizontal box. these crystals push out into the box, as if stretching it, creating serene formal transitions from horizontal to vertical and hard to soft. in this way, the building appears simultaneously as a series of objects and a new whole object.’
as a result, the facility provides a variety of memorable experiences for travelers, diversified by alternating vaulted and compressed spaces. the towering forms also allow for stack effect to maintain a passively cooled environment. additionally, the high ceilings housed in the crystalline forms also serve to designate gathering areas. the angular elements are partially filled by various program elements such as retail, restaurants, and offices.
the building’s envelope is characterized by three interwoven patterns, identified as freeform seams, maze-like projections, and cross-grain panels. the composition of the separate arrangement produces a heterogeneous effect related to brickwork of the local architecture, which is distinguished by diagonal banding. additionally, the project’s interior color palette, made of reds, oranges, yellows, and greens, relates to a vibrant tonation seen in kinmen island’s architecture, arts, animals, and plant life.