MAUD's "Electri-City" entry for the Taiwan power plant competition

The Hsinta Power Plant competition invited international innovation in re-designing the Taiwan power plant location in Kaohsiung City. The project, referred to as the "Hsinta Plan", aims at realizing nuclear-free homes in Taiwan within the year 2025 and addresses the overall need of the country's electricity supply system. The competition's goal is to change the current distribution of electricity generation by boosting the amount of green energy generated. 

Project information provided by MAU Design: 

Proposal For: Hsinta Ecological power plant construction project
Competition Organisers: Taiwan Power Company (R.O.C)
Tenderer Name: MAUD (Maxthreads Architecture and Urban Design)
Project Title: Hsinta Cultural and ecological Electri-City
Prize: Honorable mention

Project Team:
Project leader: Lu Chi Hsuan, Max Yang
Power plant planning leader: Chan Chiao Min
Assisting Architects: Chien Hsun She, Cara Lee, Jonnie Pipper

 Project Description:

Taiwan power company has supplied & supported the most important economic growth in Taiwan since the 80's. Taiwan has maintained its economy from a processing industry country to the home for high tech computing manufacturing. In the last two decades, Taiwan has set up a clear goal to fight global warming and set up clear sustainable energy standards.    

The proposal aims to provide a development frame work that reduces negative impacts such as air pollution and biological disconnection on site. The proposal will also create a new face for Taiwan green energy, positioning the country as a leading global citizen in protecting our environment.

Green site features include:

• Reduce the co2 emission on the nature gas & coal-fired co2 emission
• Designate the green buffer to reduce the environmental impact
• Create site wide biological diversity and reconcile the water related ecology
• Provide and contribute a clean and safe place for local and international visitors
• Improving the power plant working environment and a sustainable power plant design 

Design Concept:

• Hsinta power plant Urban positioning
  (The heart for nature and leisure for Hsinta area)
• Environment builder
  (Re-shape and reconcile the local biological and ecological system)
• Interconnect
  (Circulation to connect the leisure and nature resource for both local and tourists)
• Function Zoning
  (Work, live, play, visit nature)
• Power Plant Re-organization
  (Open up some parts of power plant process to visitors)

The open plan concept revolves around keeping most of the power generator layout the same as the Taiwan power company proposal. The only difference is located in some areas of the sea water inlet where condensation and excess sea water cooling flow out and are exposed to the visitor. This design change aims at educating the visitor in understanding the power generation process. 

The center of the three power plants contains a designated sea water cooling inlet flow pond as a design feature in the power plant zone. After cooling the S.T. generator it will then discharge to the flood retention basin. The whole cooling process can be seen throughout the controlled power plant visitors route.

The most identifiable power plant feature is the chimney, which features a green creeper skin wrapping around the structure functioning as an ecological feature that allows birds and wildlife to nest on the skin. The green surface will also become part of CO2 reduction tool. 

The design takes the existing main building frame and creates undulating green balconies which wrap around and reduce active heat gain, especially during Taiwan's hot summer season. This can also improve cooling for the interior of the power plant and provide an increase surface area to absorb CO2.

The proposal includes the following six green roof features: 

• Air inlet for G.T Generator
• Passive cooling chimney
• Solar panel roof, replacing the current 9.45HA photovoltaic area
• Elevated green island for local ecology
• Rain harvesting roof