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Fengtay Agriculture R&D Center
A design that cares about the environment does not seek to suddenly impose an exuberant style, but rather allows the architecture to slowly ‘grow’ from the ground. Its semblance and gesture in harmony with the place seek to accommodate the maximum demand using the least land area. For this reason, the final developed area of Fengtay Cultural and Educational Green Park is significantly lower than the permitted coverage ratio and floor area ratio.
To understand how to coexist with the land, one must first master the language of the wind. There are no high-rises anywhere here; a sea of rice paddies stretches all the way to the Jade Mountain in the distance. It is windy all-year-round and the summer wind mainly blows from southwest. Thus, the north office building is deliberately shifted westward on the site to offset from the south tower. Extruding walls invite the southwesterly wind in to pass through a wind tunnel formed by openings atop the central lobbies of north and south buildings, helping to discharge all the hot air inside. Once air is flowing freely, people feel refreshed too. But this sprawling prairie is frequented not only by wind but also searing sunlight. To take full advantage of the solar exposure, the roof is first tilted 24 degrees to maximise the efficiency of the solar panels. Recessed terraces and insulated walls are added to the east and west façades, while deep recessed windows to the north and south provide shelter from the sweltering heat.
The site will house an institution that fosters agriculture, so the warmth of olden-day villages must not be absent at the cost of avoiding baking summer heat. Redbrick buildings are ubiquitous in Yunlin, so fair-faced bricks have also been brought here. They are not bonded by mortar though, but are rather combined with stainless steel piping, rubber pads and steel ring pads that form a layered façade to the west of the building. The brick wall is protection—it blocks the glaring sun while filtering in just the right amount of light and wind to cast patterns inside. The brick wall is also a commitment to never forget one’s roots despite the inflow of new things, and to appreciate that farm chores are as heavy, rough and modest as this material. However, agricultural technology of the future will become more versatile as technology advances, just like how this wall appears heavy when it is in fact airy. It is heavy in its physical mass while light in its mortar-free, dry-laid technique; it can be dismantled and reassembled anytime to start a new life on another site again.
As such, everything is woven together here into a composition that expresses respect and admiration for heaven and earth. Like a humble farmer, the architecture stays low to the ground, letting light in, letting wind through and providing a fortress to shelter people. When rain does fall, the roof also collects it. Inside, water used to wash farm products is recycled to irrigate the surrounding farms. Resources are cherished with care and prudence. The less humans try to take, the more Nature will give. Nowhere else is this tenet more apparent than here.
PROJECT DATA Project Name
Fengtay Agriculture R&D Center Location Yunlin, Taiwan ROC Completion Date 2020 Site Area
4,343 square metres Gross Floor Area 7,300.71 square metres Building Height 27 metres Client/Owner
The Fengtay Foundation Architecture Firm
BaF (Bio-architecture Formosana) Principal Architects
Ying Chao Kuo; Ching Hwa Chang Main Contractor Feng Yu Group
Mechanical & Electrical Engineer Di-Ding Electrical Engineering Consultants Co. Ltd. Civil & Structural Engineer Envision Engineering Consultant (EEC) Fire Engineering
Ld Fire Fighting Engineering Co., Ltd. HVAC Engineering Green HVAC. & R. Consultants Images/Photos BaF; YHLAA Studio
7 The bricks form a layered façade to the west of the building 8 The roof is tilted 24 degrees to maximise the efficiency of the solar panels
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