Kaohsiung Maritime Cultural and Popular Music Center by Martinez + Johnson Architecture

Martinez + Johnson Architecture from Washington, D.C. have shared with us their entry to the Kaohsiung Maritime Cultural and Popular Music Center competition. The concept missed to reserve a place on the shortlist announced earlier this year in September, but we're delighted to present it to a larger audience here.

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 Kaohsiung Maritime Cultural and Popular Music Center (KPOP) will establish the city of Kaohsiung as a premier international tourist destination and pop music industry hub.  Located at the point where Love River flows into the harbor, and in close proximity to the city’s commercial and industrial cores, the project has the potential to act as a unifying element within the existing urban fabric and reinforce Kaohsiung’s status as a leading maritime capital.

Conceived as a campus of buildings and public spaces tied together by an undulating canopy which flows along the waterfront, the project stands as a metaphor recalling the powerful local juxtaposition of industrial shipping yards with the natural beauty of the ocean and distant mountains.  The evocative canopy structure, providing abundant shade, protection from rain, and a framework for the installation of PV panels, will become KPOP’s signature element and a symbol of the cultural renaissance of the city as a whole.

The dispersed plan activates the entire site while allowing for future development.  Located at the focal point between the river and Glory Pier, the Outdoor Performance Plaza will become a great urban center for daily recreation and leisure, as well as accommodating festival parades and frequent concerts.  The Large Performance Hall, a flexible venue with a capacity of up to 5000 people, anchors the western corner of the site.  Live feed from select concerts will be shown on a large-format LCD display screen integrated into the facade.  A landmark tower bridges the entrance to Love River, acting as a symbolic gateway to the city.  The top levels will contain the permanent exhibit space for the Pop Music Hall of Fame and an observation deck with magnificent views of the harbor and beyond.  To the east, the Maritime Center is situated at water’s edge, adjacent to the land allocated for the future wharf.  A small inlet which cuts into the building volume will be used for the full-scale yacht display.

The project incorporates a number of sustainable design features, such as geothermal ground source heat exchangers, a rainwater harvesting and recycling system, and a vast array of solar panels, aiming to attain LEED Gold certification.