Kaohsiung Maritime and Culture Center Proposal by JAJA Architects

JAJA Architects, based in Copenhagen, Denmark, have sent us their entry "Moon Bridge" for the Kaohsiung Maritime and Culture Center Competition. The concepts reinterprets the idea of a traditional Chinese Moon Bridge aiming to unify the city's waterfront and thus creating a scenic landmark.

The international competition aims to make Kaohsiung, Taiwan an incubator of the pop music industry in Southern Taiwan and throughout the Asian pop music network. The announcement of the final winner is expected for mid-January 2011.

Project Description:

The Moon Bridge is a tribute to the harbor, music and city. It is a Maritime Culture and a Pop Music Center that bridges the Love River - creating an unified waterfront and a scenic landmark.

The site is a part of Kaohsiung's ambition plan of creating a unified waterfront city. Today, the site is divided in two by the intersecting Love River. The Love River is the city's refuge by the water. It is the spine of the city where the urban spaces along the water stages a variety of markets, cafés and music events. This vast public life serves as a huge potential for the Maritime Culture and Pop Music Center and, vice versa, the new center can become a worthy entrance into the heart of the city.

The intersection between the site and Love River is a key junction.

JAJA Architects propose to create a waterfront park that connects to the adjacent park developments and stretches itself from each end of the "U"-shaped site. In the intersection by the Love River, they place the Maritime Culture and Pop Music Center that extends itself from street level across the river forming a scenic landmark in the shape of a Moon Bridge.

The Moon Bridge will frame the river inviting public life from the Love River Park into the harbor - while allowing people across the river overlooking the city and harbor. It is a bridge but also an urban space, promenade, landmark and a building. It is a place that has enormous capacity for music events, exhibitions and urban life. Day and night. All year round.

It is a project that dissolves the boundary between building, urban space and landscape. Interior and exterior. It is a project that combines all the conditions of the site and program to create an incubator for pop music, maritime history and public life.

(Image of traditional Moon Bridge via)

For floor plans, sections and diagrams, check the image gallery below.