Taiwan Pavilion EXPO 2010
Design
Completion
Location
Shanghai, China
Site Area
1075 m²
Total Floor Area
1400 m²
Stories
4F
Heigh
23.8 m
Category
Iconic Projects
Client
TAIPEI WORLD TRADE CENTER
MOUNTAIN, WATER, LANTERN OF THE HEART — NATURE．SPIRIT．CITY
Although modern cities are capable of fulfilling our basic social functions and rudimentary lifestyle requirements, they have also put enormous pressure on our society's ability for sustainable development and while creating a loss of control towards human life and the natural environment—ultimately leading to the critical issues of environmental responsibility, the anti-nuclear movement, and the environmental and economic crises that have plagued the 21st century.
In response to the aforementioned issues, we firmly believe that constructing a new civilization for humankind in the 21st century can only be achieved through the concept of “Life Revolution” and its dual core themes of “Nature and Spirit.” The theme of the Shanghai World Expo 2010 “Better City, Better Life,” is the best platform to launch this life revolution for the 21st century and this was the core concept behind the Taiwan Pavilion at Expo 2010.
Taiwan both preserves and enhances Oriental culture. Western civilization, based on the concepts of duality and opposition, has created a highly rational and technological civilization. Eastern civilization on the other hand, has as its cultural DNA the three elemental aspects of the universe “Heaven, Man and Earth” and has created a culture that emphasizes wisdom and harmonious living. We believe that the life revolution of the 21st century must begin with an urban environment that incorporates the Eastern philosophy of “Heaven, Man and Earth,” in conjunction with modern technology to create a new urban civilization that emphasizes “Nature and Spirit.” This will serve to counteract the inharmonious side effects of modern urban development with its overemphasis on technology and consumer consumption.
Through the vibrant mix of these two rich cultural oceans, and among the beautiful mountains and waters of Taiwan, a wondrous cultural spirit has been born. This includes innumerable grateful religious souls, kindhearted LOHAS souls, artistic souls searching for creativity and the endless inventions of innovative souls. The true beauty of Taiwan comes from its millions of humanistic souls that have inherited this thousand year old cultural legacy within its beautiful waters and mountains. Taiwan's contribution to this earth is through the dual forces of “Nature” and “Spirit.” Because of this, we have introduced the traditional Taiwan folk ritual of “Releasing Sky Lanterns.” Utilizing the ritual's blessing and spiritual cleansing aspects, combined with the overall architectural concept of “Mountain, Water, Lantern of the Heart” to declare to the world the new Taiwanese spirit of “Because of our Hearts, Taiwan is Large.” Advocating a new urban ”Living Revolution” culture of the future based on the dual manifests of “Return to Nature” and ”Return to Spirit.”
The “Mountain, Water, Lantern of the Heart” theme of the Taiwan Pavilion at World Expo Shanghai 2010 utilizes advanced technology to showcase a multimedia presentation on the exterior of the main structure. Taking advantage of the dynamic interplay between the smart film on the exterior surface of the “Lantern of the Heart” and the high lumen LED globe of the “Heart of Taiwan,” myriad scenes are created including thousands of flying butterflies, ocean conservation, traditional Taiwanese floral patterns, environmental sustainability and traditional folk art, conveying to the world the diverse natural environment and images of Taiwan; and in addition the dynamic interplay between day and night is also exhibited. On the exterior, the Taiwan Pavilion uses the “Mountain and Water Theater” as the architectural foundation protecting the “Lantern of the Heart” that sits atop; using Yushan (Jade Mountain) and the Pacific Ocean as a metaphor and artistic performance of Taiwan as the protagonist to accentuate the vitality of “Returning to Nature” in our “Future City.”
Although modern cities are capable of fulfilling our basic social functions and rudimentary lifestyle requirements, they have also put enormous pressure on our society's ability for sustainable development and while creating a loss of control towards human life and the natural environment—ultimately leading to the critical issues of environmental responsibility, the anti-nuclear movement, and the environmental and economic crises that have plagued the 21st century.
In response to the aforementioned issues, we firmly believe that constructing a new civilization for humankind in the 21st century can only be achieved through the concept of “Life Revolution” and its dual core themes of “Nature and Spirit.” The theme of the Shanghai World Expo 2010 “Better City, Better Life,” is the best platform to launch this life revolution for the 21st century and this was the core concept behind the Taiwan Pavilion at Expo 2010.
Taiwan both preserves and enhances Oriental culture. Western civilization, based on the concepts of duality and opposition, has created a highly rational and technological civilization. Eastern civilization on the other hand, has as its cultural DNA the three elemental aspects of the universe “Heaven, Man and Earth” and has created a culture that emphasizes wisdom and harmonious living. We believe that the life revolution of the 21st century must begin with an urban environment that incorporates the Eastern philosophy of “Heaven, Man and Earth,” in conjunction with modern technology to create a new urban civilization that emphasizes “Nature and Spirit.” This will serve to counteract the inharmonious side effects of modern urban development with its overemphasis on technology and consumer consumption.
Through the vibrant mix of these two rich cultural oceans, and among the beautiful mountains and waters of Taiwan, a wondrous cultural spirit has been born. This includes innumerable grateful religious souls, kindhearted LOHAS souls, artistic souls searching for creativity and the endless inventions of innovative souls. The true beauty of Taiwan comes from its millions of humanistic souls that have inherited this thousand year old cultural legacy within its beautiful waters and mountains. Taiwan's contribution to this earth is through the dual forces of “Nature” and “Spirit.” Because of this, we have introduced the traditional Taiwan folk ritual of “Releasing Sky Lanterns.” Utilizing the ritual's blessing and spiritual cleansing aspects, combined with the overall architectural concept of “Mountain, Water, Lantern of the Heart” to declare to the world the new Taiwanese spirit of “Because of our Hearts, Taiwan is Large.” Advocating a new urban ”Living Revolution” culture of the future based on the dual manifests of “Return to Nature” and ”Return to Spirit.”
The “Mountain, Water, Lantern of the Heart” theme of the Taiwan Pavilion at World Expo Shanghai 2010 utilizes advanced technology to showcase a multimedia presentation on the exterior of the main structure. Taking advantage of the dynamic interplay between the smart film on the exterior surface of the “Lantern of the Heart” and the high lumen LED globe of the “Heart of Taiwan,” myriad scenes are created including thousands of flying butterflies, ocean conservation, traditional Taiwanese floral patterns, environmental sustainability and traditional folk art, conveying to the world the diverse natural environment and images of Taiwan; and in addition the dynamic interplay between day and night is also exhibited. On the exterior, the Taiwan Pavilion uses the “Mountain and Water Theater” as the architectural foundation protecting the “Lantern of the Heart” that sits atop; using Yushan (Jade Mountain) and the Pacific Ocean as a metaphor and artistic performance of Taiwan as the protagonist to accentuate the vitality of “Returning to Nature” in our “Future City.”