Jumping Fish Ecological Energy Park, Hsinta Ecological Power Plant
Kaohsiung, Taiwan

On the southwest coast of Taiwan, the new Hsinta Ecological Regional Power Plant will be created in a watery seaside wetlands landscape largely devoted to fish farming and relentlessly flat. Because elements of this plant- generators, turbines, and stacks- are too big to hide, they will be big, bold, and beautiful. In this wet-lands context, three rising organic forms, recalling “Jumping Fish”, contain both lower scale equipment and multi-story turbine halls and tall stacks. An enclosing ring of supporting work spaces define an oval precinct with a service courtyard and related water retention basin. This identifiable profile, visible at great distance, will mark the park and allow its grounds to occupy the full extent of the site.

Three main power generators are iconic markers for the energy plant and park, an international competition entry finalist and second place award winner. A utility courtyard for outdoor service functions supports the main generators; its roadways on axis with the main generators are enhanced by landscape areas providing shade and orientation; courtyard functions are visible to visitors and staff from the ring building. The curved ring collects building areas not required to be adjacent to other courtyard functions. Highly identifiable secure entrances have view corridors to plant functions; the ring provides covered parking at its base and breezeways through covered areas into the courtyard. The ring is enclosed with a high-performance envelope including glass systems with a combination of integrated photovoltaics and integral expanded metal mesh to optimize shading while providing renewable energy generation. A solar panel array is relocated from the site to the roof of the ring. The roof has viewing paths at the inside perimeter to the courtyard and at the outside perimeter with views of park and sea. The below sea-level plant site area is raised 2 meters for resiliency. Plant buffer areas connect park activities around the plant.

Between the plant precinct and the existing wetlands, a new topography formed of overlapping crescent shaped earth mounds provide heights to view the adjacent landscape and sheltered areas for a variety of activities. Land fill for the mounds is provided by the excavation of a broad semi-circular recreational basin along the canal edge of the site connecting the park to the harbor to the north. A network of paths circumnavigates the entire site crossing the wetlands to the south, weaving through the crescent mounds, passing by the water basin, and encircling the plant. The wetlands area is preserved for endangered spoonbills and other water birds. On-site historic salt works structures are integrated into the educational features of the park: cultural, educational and industrial. The site becomes a regional community destination with both roadway access and access from the city harbor.